


A Tale of Crossed Fates

by acooleg



Series: an idiot's guide to pokémon: galar edition [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: F/M, Galar-chihou | Galar, Isshu-chihou | Unova, champion destroyers, discord pokemon universe, dpu, everyone has a fucking sobble i s2g, more characters will be added, more ocs will be added, the server has been playing pokemon and guess who fell in love, told from multiple perspectives, trainersona, trainersonas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:06:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 41,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21798820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acooleg/pseuds/acooleg
Summary: alt title: some idiots meet on galar and learn the true meaning of friendshipThe Champion Destroyer siblings of Kanto have arrived in Galar at the request of their uncle, one Chairman Rose. They've grown up travelling the world and have seen things only heard of in stories. As adults now, though, they must learn to let the next generation have their own tale unfold.
Relationships: Chairman Rose & Original Characters, Chairman Rose & Original Female Character, Chairman Rose & Original Male Character, Dande | Leon/Original Female Character, Kibana | Raihan/Original Female Character, Leon/Original Female Character, Onion | Allister & Original Female Character
Series: an idiot's guide to pokémon: galar edition [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1574494
Comments: 33
Kudos: 45





	1. roses in the tower

**Author's Note:**

> hi yes there's going to be a tumblr for this but rn check mine out [here](acoolegg.tumblr.com)

Leon stared at Rose Tower critically, brows furrowed ever so slightly. Chairman Rose had asked him to join him in the afternoon, claiming in that cryptic way he did that there was an important task he had for the Champion. Had it been any other time, Leon would've been more than happy to oblige. But it was just a couple weeks away from the new season of the Gym Challenge and he had things that he needed to finish before then.

"Oh my gosh, it's _Leon!_ " He looked over his shoulder, grinning at the two girls that were openly ogling him. The shorter one screeched when he waved, moving to hide behind the taller. "Can we get a picture?" she asked, taking a couple steps towards him. Before he could answer (it would've been 'yes' because he was never against taking pics with fans), the sliding door opened.

"Champion," Oleana's cool voice greeted. He looked towards the ever-serious woman and heard the two girls run off. Oleana had always had this air around her that terrified most people. Not him, though. "The Chairman has been expecting you."

He adjusted his cape and started into the building. Giving her a good natured smile, Leon asked, "I'm not late, am I? I only took a wrong turn once on my way here." One day, he'd get her to crack a grin with his humor.

She side eyed him as they walked towards the elevator, crossing her arms over her chest. "No. For once, you're early." One of the League employees nodded as they passed, opening up the elevator for them. "We're still waiting on our guests to arrive. It seems that they'll be the late ones."

"Guests?" She nodded and scanned her pass, the elevator clicking a couple times before starting its ascent. "I didn't realize Rose was bringing people in. More potential sponsors for the League?" It wouldn't surprise him; the Chairman was always trying to get sponsors. He had grand ideas for the League that required money to do. As Champion, Leon was brought in to talk to them, just to make sure they were up to his snuff.

"No, they're not sponsors. They're his family."

"...his family." Leon stared at the blonde, who kept her gaze straight ahead. "He wants me to meet some of _his family._ " He tried to keep the annoyance from his voice, he really did. He remembered Rose talking about his family a couple times when he first became Champion, had mentioned that his sister had kids his age. But that had been _literally_ forever ago. He hadn't realized they were that important - or at least, important enough to pull him from his Champion duties. He probably should've, considering the fact he had seen pictures of the Chairman's family in his office.

"Yes, he does. They're not from Galar."

He wanted to question her more but she pulled her phone out and was tapping away on it. Guess that was the end of that conversation. With a soft exhale, he turned and stared at the door. The rest of the ride was awkwardly quiet and stiff.

The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened slowly. He could see the Chairman standing near one of the windows of the dome, although there was a young woman standing beside him. The pair seemed to be in deep discussion, only stopping when Oleana cleared her throat. Rose smiled widely, arms stretched out as he walked towards them. "Ah, my Champion has arrived!"

The young woman turned to look at them, tilting her head ever so slightly. From this distance, the only identifiable feature on the woman was her bright blue hair. Oleana stepped out first and Leon followed. "Chairman," he greeted evenly. He smiled at the new woman, "And family."

That seemed to be her cue to step forward, meeting them in the middle of the dome. He noticed the Meowstic perched on her shoulder, supporting himself by wrapping his legs around her arm. She wheeled luggage behind her, looking over him and Oleana as she walked carefully. Not only did she have blue hair, she had steely blue eyes. She had a couple slits in her eyebrows and a bright pink nose piercing.

She clearly had just arrived - the sunglasses hanging off her shirt and shorts she wore were both too tropical for Galar. While it wasn't the coldest region, people needed to wear more than a crop top and shorts to stay warm.

Overall, she was cute, in an alternative punk kind of way. Rose clapped her on the shoulder when she stopped beside him. "I see Oleana let some of the details of today's meeting slip! Yes, this is my niece."

She extended her left hand his way, smiling warmly. Her Meowstic followed suit, one tiny paw reaching for him. "My name's Annie, and this is one of my partners, Expurrsure. Nice to meet ya!"

He accepted her hand and shook. Her grip was firm. Confident. "I'm Leon, the Champion of Galar." He shook the Meowstic's paw as well, unable to stop the smile that spread across his face as the blue Pokémon purred happily when they shook hands. "Nice to meet you, too, little guy." Setting his fists against his waist, he looked back to her, "Oleana said that you're not from Galar, so that means your accent's from somewhere else, yeah? Where's it from?" She laughed sharply, withdrawing her hand and rubbing at her cheek shyly. He took note of the two bracelets on her wrist.

Were those… a Mega Ring and a Z-Power Ring? He had only seen pictures of them online, and they were supposed to be relatively rare. And she had _both of them?_

Not only did she have an accent, she apparently had amazing power.

"Ah, I'm from Kanto. Although I doubt I have much of my Kantonian accent left, since I haven't been there is several years." He quirked a brow up at her, watching how she fiddled with the necklace dangling from her neck. "I've been travelling since I was old enough to take on the Kanto League. Visited a lot of different places, so it's a little bit of everywhere. Right now it's more Alolan than anything else, since I've spent the last few years there."

 _Now_ he had questions. She'd been all over and he wanted to know the details. Where had she been? How long had she been there? As he opened his mouth, Oleana interrupted. "Chairman, where's the other?" She stepped towards Annie. "And where did you come from?"

"Annie here opted to fly on a plane to Galar from Alola, and then her Volcarona brought her here to the tower. Can you believe it? She has a Volcarona! I've never seen one in person before; it's a beautiful Pokémon." Rose stepped between the two women, clearly picking up on whatever dislike Oleana had for the other. "Her brother should be here soon, Oleana. Apparently he chose to fly on his Charizard."

"All the way from _Alola?_ " Leon gaped at the woman when she nodded. "How powerful is this Charizard?"

"Uh. Very." She looked up, through the glass dome and to the sky. "He's been with Teddy since Kanto, and is his most trusted partner. He's seen some of the most powerful Pokémon in existence and is, understandably, super powerful because of it." She looked back to him, a small smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth. "I try to think of this as extensive training for the both of 'em. A test of strength."

If this were a flight between Kalos and Galar, _maybe_ Leon wouldn't be nearly as slack jawed. But from Alola to Galar? That was… Well, that was just way more than he could wrap his head around.

Suddenly, Annie turned to Rose. The Chairman was visibly surprised by the sharpness to her voice, "The dome is still ready for entrances from the sky, right, Uncle?"

He tilted his head at the question, following her gaze up to the sky. Leon looked up, too, searching desperately for the shadow of the Pokémon. "Yes, of course! Why?"

She grinned widely, digging in the backpack slung over her shoulder as she spoke, "Because if it's not, you're about to get a Pokémon sized hole in the glass, courtesy of a Charizard going mach 5. I can feel it; my brother's here." As if sensing the newest presence, the glass at the top of the dome opened.

Leon was flabbergasted as a Charizard flew in, trails of smoke coming from the brightly burning fire of its tail. A man stood on its back, hopping off before it could land and dropping to the ground with an impressive 'boom!' His height was the first thing that he noticed. Easily, this man was as tall as Raihan, or maybe taller. Next was his short yet wild brown hair, peeking out from beneath a beanie and the speckling of freckles across the pale bridge of his nose. In the second after he landed, he was up and running, every step shaking the ground. He looked like he was about to kill the poor woman as he sped over to her, dark brown eyes clearly determined.

But instead he picked her up in a Beware hug and squeezed as he loudly greeted, "Sis!" He sat her back down, hands going to his waist. "You wouldn't _believe_ the kind of view we had up there!" He looked at the Pokémon that stomped over to him, patting it on the head. The man was a giant compared to the Charizard. "Zardo here killed it. Not a single break, we did it all in one go! Although he did eat a stray Pidove."

Annie laughed, twisting the charm dangling off of her necklace. "You just let him!?"

"It _did_ try to fight us." He grinned over her, taking his eyes over the other people standing around. His grin slipped off just a bit. "Oh, damn, I'm late." In a few steps, he crossed the distance between himself and the group, stopping before Chairman Rose and extending his hand. "Uncle Bry, wonderful to see you. Thanks for having us."

The older man shook his hand with a wide smile. "The pleasure's mine, Theodore."

Shaggy locks of curly brown hair fell in his eyes as he shook his head sharply, pulling away to awkwardly rub at the back of his head. "I've told you how many times now, Unc? Call me Ted. Don't, uh, don't call me that. Theodore was grandpa, and Ted is me."

"Or Teddy, if you're me!" Annie tacked on, moving to nudge her brother in the side. "Isn't that right, little brother?"

Ted let out an almost irritated sigh, rolling his eyes. "Only because you've called me that since we were kids." Then he moved to Oleana, extending his hand. "Ma'am," he greeted politely.

She regarded his hand coolly, like she was staring at something to be dissected. But after a moment, she shook it. "Good afternoon. Your flight was alright, then?"

"Of course!" He looked at his Charizard (who Annie was petting on) again, pride coming off of him in waves. "We made it in one piece, didn't we?"

She let go of his hand and crossed her arms. "You did." She said it sharply, clearly ending the conversation.

The man stared at her for a few seconds before shrugging and turning to Leon. "And you must be the Champion, right?"

He stretched his hand out and Leon accepted it with a wide grin. "You would be right. Champion Leon, at your service." He got the feeling that both siblings were the dependable type, just from their firm handshakes.

"Awesome. Uncle Bry said you also have a Charizard, yeah? We should have a go sometime, see who has the better one." Ted let go of his hand, stuffing it in the pocket of his hoodie. "Zardo and I have done every kind of training imaginable, so I'm certain we could take you."

Not one to shy away from a challenge, Leon rolled his shoulders. "From what I've briefly heard, you two have been through a lot together. You're undoubtedly powerful. But when it comes to my Charizard and I, though, we're the perfect team!"

Ted opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by Annie. She had turned to the Chairman, head tilted ever so slightly. "Uncle B, you brought us here for a reason, right? Not that I'm not super psyched that you pulled the strings to get us into Galar quickly, but…"

Rose nodded, giving the woman that charming smile he was known for. "Ah, yes! I did bring you here for a couple reasons. One we can discuss later, over dinner! The other is fine to talk about right now."

Oh? A secret reason? Rose hardly kept anything secret from Leon, though… Maybe it was a family thing? The siblings were apparently the niece and nephew of him, so it could be a family thing. But why would they need to come all the way to Galar for that? Leon had too many questions, and his head was starting to spin.

The Chairman held his left hand out, and Oleana placed two envelopes in his grasp. He extended one to each sibling. As the Champion, Leon recognized the seals on those envelopes immediately.

"These are endorsement letters!" Rose explained as they each took one. Ted raised a brow at the older man, who continued to explain. "The League Challenge here in Galar requires that trainers entering it be endorsed by someone affiliated with the League. So, I will be endorsing both of you."

Annie grinned as she placed the envelope in her bag. "Aw, thanks. You didn't have to do that, Unc. We would've found endorsements either way." She was awfully cocky, huh? "Afterall, we wouldn't be Champion Destroyers if we weren't strong enough to do something ourselves!" Her Meowstic cheered at that, nuzzling the side of her face. Leon couldn't keep the surprise out of his face as his gaze flicked between the two of them.

Champion Destroyers? Those were supposed to be urban legends… People that traveled the globe with the sole purpose of taking on each region's Pokémon League. Champion Destroyers were small in numbers, as it usually took a hefty toll on one to travel to every region. But those that did go through with a League Challenge would claim the title of Champion and leave, usually leaving the previous Champion in charge still. They were crazy powerful trainers with knowledge on par with a Professor.

"But I appreciate it. It'll be nice having this so we don't have to worry about it while we go find our first partners here in Galar." She poked her Meowstic's cheek. "SInce we'll be doing the Challenge here, that means you'll have to go to the island for a while, okay? Wouldn't be fair to battle with you and everyone else, since you're so strong."

Ted looked at his own endorsement letter, flipping it between his hands. "Endorsement letters, huh? So not just anyone can take on the Challenge here?"

Oleana nodded, "The League Challenge is a celebrated part of our culture here in Galar, where the best of the best face some of our greatest trainers. Exclusivity among its participants pays."

He gave a soft hum of acknowledgement as he pocketed the letter, "Mom never mentioned that part." He glanced back over at Leon. "And you sit at the very top of this League, eh?" It wasn't malicious, but there was some sense of foreboding behind his words that Leon didn't like.

"I do." Leon found himself tapping his fingers against his thigh, surprised that the anxiety he usually never felt was making its appearance in front of these two.

Ted nodded, tapping his finger against his chin. He spoke softly, less to anyone else and more to himself. "Then your Charizard must really be powerful… Oh, man." The way he jumped was so very reminiscent of Hop getting excited. "This is going to be great!"

Annie smiled at Leon. "This is going to be fun, then. I'm always interested to see how every region approaches the League."

"Yes, yes. Cera mentioned how your tunnel vision has only gotten worse over the years, so it's best I tell you the little caveat I have in return for endorsing you before you both run off and start training. You two will be monitoring another League participant I've endorsed, a young man named Bede. He'll be joining us for dinner later this evening." Rose looked to Leon, giving him an exasperated grin. "I'll have to make sure they stay on track. They were supposed to come visit a couple years ago, but they both got distracted with helping Professor Kukui in Alola set up his Pokémon League."

"Oh, man, Unc, you should see the League down there!" Annie bounced over to him, luggage still being wheeled behind her. "We had to stay to find a truly powerful Champion to take over, since Teddy was their first 'official' Champion. A young kid named Hau stepped up! He's amazing!"

Ted had taken a Pokéball off of his belt and called his Charizard back. He looked over his shoulder as he set the ball back in its spot. "Can't believe we hung out down there for three years. And we had to help round up those Ultra Beasts for the last one!"

The siblings started talking between themselves, inside jokes causing both to laugh loudly. Rose looked at them fondly as he spoke to Leon, "You understand why I wanted my most powerful trainer to meet these two, yes?"

The Champion of Galar nodded, looking at the young man and woman respectively. If what she said was true, and they had been doing League Challenges since they were old enough… Then it wasn't just nepotism that landed them a spot in the League; they really were experienced, and they might be just the type of people to kick him off his throne.

They weren't a threat, per se, but rather rivals he should be more than aware of.

He cleared his throat just loud enough to pull their attention his way. "I hate to interrupt but I feel it's best to address it early on. Since you two will be participating, you need to know that I won't lose to either of you," he said, masking his worry with a toothy grin.

"Not easily at least," Annie replied, teasing but kind.

"We'll make it even, like we always do, and catch every member of our team here in Galar," Ted muttered, looking to the Pokéball his Charizard was in. It sounded like he was talking to himself again. "Means you and everyone else has to go to the island until we can get you back."

They were going to… completely rebuild their teams?

Before Leon could think even harder over these two new rivals of his, a loud rumbling filled the air. Annie laughed loudly, "Did you not eat, bro!?"

He shook his head again. "I forgot to. Got distracted with the view…" Ah, that would be that tunnel vision at play. "Hey, Uncle B, you got any snacks on ya?"

"I'm afraid not on me." The Chairman turned to his secretary. "Oleana? Got any sweets handy?" The blonde rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Damn. Guess we'll cut this meet and greet short so you two can go find something to eat. Keep it light, though, I'm still taking you out to dinner to discuss the second reason I brought you here!"

Annie nodded as she walked towards the elevator, her brother trailing behind her. She hit a button on her luggage and it sprung to life, a tiny Rotom appearing above it before taking over and automating it. "Of course! Where do you want us to be, and by when?"

"Back in front of Rose Tower by 6!" She hummed her acknowledgement. "Leon, show them the way out for me?"

"Of course, Chairman." The Champion turned as the elevator opened up, stepping in and offering them both a grin. "After me, _contenders._ "

Ted crossed his arms, grinning back wolfishly. "Oh, you just signed your eviction notice. I'm coming for you, Champion." The door to the elevator slid shut and thus--

\--They began their descent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the self insert from that leon smut btw and yes my name is annie @ me


	2. world renowned dumbasses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the champion destroyers pose a question: where's the best place to catch pokémon without battling them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more from leon's perspective because i love writing him. that's gon' change real quick, tho.

As Champion, Leon has something similar to an office within Wyndon stadium. It was well-furnished and modern, with posters of himself and the Major Gym Leaders adorning the walls. There was even a fancy PC and other neat gizmos that were supposed to help him with all the duties that came with being Champion.

He hardly ever used it, though. He really only saw the room when he had the rare meeting with a journalist or if he had to discuss the League with some sponsors. So it normally sat and collected a minimal amount of dust, because someone would come in and clean it at least once a week.

Yet, there he stood in the doorway, unable to keep the surprise off of his face when he saw the sibling Champion Destroyers pacing the room. Rose had texted him earlier, saying he had an important meeting that he needed to attend to. It was cryptically vague, as per the norm, not giving him any idea what it was supposed to be about. Apparently, this was his important meeting.

Annie was pacing one way, Ted was pacing the other, and when they met in the middle they would share a look before letting out annoyed sighs. They didn't even stop when he stepped in and shut the door.

Had they noticed him?

Leon timed them, sliding between the two and towards his desk when the opening arose. Given their response (or lack thereof), he assumed they hadn't. In his brief time of knowing them, he knew that that was unusual. Both were astute observationalists, although Ted was more environmentally astute and Annie more socially. It meant that one could normally pick up on what the other missed.

The fact that both of them clearly hadn't noticed him meant that something was wrong.

Leon set his cape on the back of the (super nice, Champion quality) leather desk chair, taking a seat and watching as they wore holes into the carpet with all their pacing. After a few moments, Annie stopped and glared at the ground, hands straight in front of her. "I guess my problem is that he's such a _brat!_ " she hissed loudly, clearly upset. "I don't understand why Uncle thinks we can do anything with him! He's a little bitch!"

Oh, ouch. Cursing wasn't uncommon in Galar (in fact, most people would do it around their friends or in the comfort of their own home), but it still threw him off when someone would do it. It usually meant they were feeling some kind of intense emotion, usually either positive or negative. It was negative in her case, obviously.

Ted stopped and turned to her, rubbing the bridge of his nose before cupping his chin. He was contemplating, clearly, choosing his next words carefully. "Unc seems to think that you'll be able to work with him."

She threw her hands up in exasperation, looking like she was about to scream. "Just because I was able to work with you doesn't mean I'll be able to work with him! He's an asshole! Absolutely the worst!" Obviously those were the wrong words. She collapsed into one of the chairs across from his desk, looking defeated. "I only signed up for taking one little brother on an adventure, yet here he is, expecting me to take another…"

Ted whipped around at that, looking just a bit miffed. "You didn't sign up for anything! We agreed to go together--oh, hey Leon."

Annie's eyes shot open to find his, completely thrown off by his sudden appearance. Her voice squeaked as she asked, "When did you get here?" She sat up straight, placing her hands on her knees and leaning forward.

"I've been here for," he pretended to glance at his wrist, "five or so minutes. The Chairman said I had a meeting I needed to attend to." He quirked a brow up at her, setting his elbow on his desk and cupping his chin in his hand. He gave her a small grin as he asked, "Would you be my meeting?"

He watched as her whole face turned red, mouth opening and closing like a Magikarp's as she struggled for words. He hadn't meant for that to embarrass her, but here she was, blushing like a mad woman. "Are you… flirting with her?" Ted asked, seemingly confused. He sat in the other chair, crossing his legs at the knee. They had both adapted to Galar fashion relatively quickly, dressed in the stylish leather clothes Wyndon specialized in. He could see the studded boots the taller man wore.

Before the Champion could respond, Annie groaned and cupped her face in her hands. "It's too much, you're too pretty," she mumbled. He almost blushed from that. Him? _Pretty?_ "First Bede, now you too? I'm going to keel over and die from embarrassment before I can catch my first Galarian Pokémon…"

Bede… That was the boy Rose had mentioned. Something about the two of them taking him under their wing. He had met him a few times, normally as he would come in to discuss things with the Chairman. They hadn't shared more than a few words, but the kid did give off a 'holier than thou' vibe. He was probably the brat she had mentioned earlier, who had apparently embarrassed her somehow. (Apparently he badly embarrassed her. Was his accidental-flirt good embarrassment?) Why would Rose set up a meeting about him?

"Shut up, don't be weird." Ted smacked her shoulder lightly. "But yes, to answer your earlier question, we are your meeting. And sorry that you came into that; we're a bit riled up. We had an… interesting conversation with our 'pupil.'"

Annie held her head in her hands at that. "I don't even want to _think_ about him anymore."

He hummed his agreement as he produced a tablet from the bag slung over his shoulder, tapping against it a couple times before sliding it Leon's way across the desk. The Champion picked it up, recognizing the Map on it instantly. It had saved him dozens of times when he got lost. "Uncle recommended we reach out to you about the best area to locate Pokémon we could easily catch without battling."

"Without battling? You two aren't going to use your current teams?" As he spoke, Leon was already scrolling through the Map, specifically towards Postwick. If anywhere were to have Pokémon like that, it'd be there and Route 1.

"No. When we start a new League, we like to approach it like we're first time trainers, since often times young'ins like that will be joining us." Annie recovered quickly, leaning forward and over the desk to watch as he scrolled. "And in Galar, it's way more competitive, so this time especially we should grow like first timers, you know? The point of a League Challenge is to have fun, for all parties involved. I don't think it'd be fun for us or the other participants if we came in with our Destroyer Pokémon."

"That's noble of you." Albeit presumptuous. How powerful were these Pokémon of theirs that they thought they had to put them on the back burner for this? Apparently super powerful.

Leon's mind flashed to Ted's Charizard, the way it had shot into Rose Tower faster than lightning striking. He remembered how _intelligent_ Annie's Meowstic had seemed, wanting to shake his hand as well.

Okay. They weren't your _run of the mill_ Pokémon, at the very least. Stronger than normal. Smarter, too.

Alright, sure. They wanted new partners? He'd get them new partners.

He nodded to himself as he finally scrolled far enough, setting the tablet down and pointing at his hometown. "Then here is your best bet. A few different types of Pokémon call the fields of Postwick home, and they're all relatively weak compared to other areas. This would be the best place to try to get a partner."

Annie picked up the tablet, excitedly selecting the village and reading over its blurb. "Oh, oh! Teddy! This is where we wanted to set up shop, too!"

Her brother leaned over her shoulder, nodding as he read. "It is. A nice little farming village to fall back to when things get to be too much…"

Leon tilted his head, watching how she shoved the tablet in her bag. "'Set up shop?' Are you two planning to live in Postwick?" There were a few houses tucked away in the fields, but most were owned by farmers like his family. Maybe one had come up for rent recently? He hadn't been home in a while, so it might've happened.

Ted hummed his acknowledgement, cracking his knuckles as he sat back in his chair. "There's a villa for rent there, near a place called the Slumbering Weald." Ah, probably the one tucked in the field across from Hop's friend's house. But why would they need a home here in Galar? As Champion Destroyers, they had never truly settled down… There must've been confusion on his face, because he went on to explain, "In Johto, we learned early on that we need an official address in order to establish ourselves in the League so… We sort of convinced Mom to sign off on a house there?"

Leon had to pick his jaw up off his desk. "You convinced your mom to buy a whole new house just so you two could take on another League?"

"What!? No!" Annie shook her head violently. "We were kids, so of course they wouldn't give the deed to us. We just had her sign it! But I swear, we paid for it! We had a lot of money saved up!" He had heard about Kanto being a super wealthy region but jeez. For two kids to pay for a whole new house…

Ted grinned, and gestured to his sister. "We had to have Mom sign deeds for every new region we visited, save for Alola. Ann was old enough to do that herself when we went there."

"Eighteen is the magic number, it seems. Every region is willing to let you do some stupid shit if you're eighteen." She started to sigh wistfully, but stopped herself. She turned a harsh gaze onto Leon. "Speaking of stupid shit, what's the drinking age here?"

Drinking age…? "It's eighteen, why?" He hadn't landed an alcoholic as a rival, had he?

"We should've come to Galar first! Three years, bro! I could've been drinking ages ago!" She sighed and crossed her arms, pouting like a child. "I probably would know how to hold my alcohol by now if we came here first…"

"You're being a baby," Ted chided, although it sounded playful. "Is alcohol really that important, now that you're an adult?"

"Uh, yeah!" She slammed her hands against the desk, standing up for some kind of dramatic effect. "Drinking is one of the most important things in an adult's life, next to battling and family! I wish I came to Galar first; since the drinking age was twenty one in Alola, I only started this year. Freakin' shit."

"Oh, damn, you're twenty one?" Alright, Leon couldn't help but let the curse slip. He had been caught off guard by _that_ revelation. He stared at the woman, who stared back at him.

She sat back in her chair, crossing her legs at the knees. "Yeaaaaah? Why."

"I'm only twenty. You look… younger than your age." He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. Here he had been, teasing an older woman without a care in the world. "Could've sworn I was older than you…"

"What the hell? You're Teddy's age! I thought you were older, too!" She looked to her brother, frowning as she dramatically threw herself over the side of her chair. "I'm so old… All of the young people are taking over… Maybe I should retire…"

"You acting like this is why Bede called you incompetent." Leon's jaw dropped once again when he saw just how quickly she turned and smacked Ted's chest. But the man seemed to find it funny, snickering as he caught her wrist, "You know I don't mean it."

"I'm gonna fight that kid, and I don't mean with a battle. I swear to Arceus, he's as infuriating as you were at that age!" She snatched her wrist from him, rubbing the skin there angrily.

"Don't compare me to him." The man looked a bit miffed at that. "When I was his age, I had a _much_ better attitu--holy shit we are getting old." He shook his head, seemingly shell-shocked by that realization.

She sighed loudly. "We're too old now… Old and wisened. That must be why Unc wants us to help him. Make him less insufferable… Ah, I don't want to think about it, or I'm gonna want to deck him again. Let's just get to Postwick. We've spent too much time in Wyndon! We need to get on the road and get ourselves in gear!"

Although he was still bewildered (she acted like she was eighteen or nineteen, yet she was _older than him?_ How?), Leon sat up straighter when they mentioned leaving. Before he could stop himself, he was saying, "If you're heading to Postwick, you should find my younger brother, Hop. He knows all the best spots for finding Pokémon there."

"Oh, you have a brother!" Annie smiled warmly, setting her chin in her hand. "Is he a trainer?"

"No, no. Not yet, at least." The siblings were staring at him, both looking relatively excited. He found himself explaining further, unable to help the excited grin that made itself home on his face. He really _couldn't_ help it; when it came to Hop, Leon was always ready to tell everyone just how cool his little brother was. "I actually plan on visiting in a couple weeks to give him and his friend starter Pokémon, straight from our Professor. And then… Well, they'll both be joining the League Challenge. I plan on endorsing them."

"Oh, so they'll be our rivals then," Ted murmured, smiling ever so slightly. "So that's Bede, Hop, and this friend of his. All kids." He turned to his sister. "Sounds like a story's going to unfold. That's three young'ins so far."

Leon quirked a brow up at that. 'Story?' Well, yes, it was certainly something like a story. But every trainer's adventure was a story in its own right, wasn't it?

She nodded, looking contemplative with her eyes closed and arms crossed over her chest. "Certainly seems like it could be the start of one. Let's wait and see, though." She cracked one eye open to look to the Champion. "How old is he? Ten?"

"Oh, gosh, no." He shook his hand, as if clearing that thought from the air. "The participation age in the League Challenge has gone up in recent years. Something about it being dangerous for ten-year-olds to go off by themselves and battling wild Pokémon and older trainers…"

"I guess that makes sense," she murmured, shrugging. After a moment, she giggled. "I remember! I was ten when we snuck into Team Rocket's base in Kanto!"

The poor Champion nearly choked. _What?_

"I was _nine._ I still don't understand how putting on their uniform was enough to trick them into letting us in…" Ted sighed. He looked to Leon, watching as he smacked his chest to clear his airways. "But I guess that alone is enough of a reason to up the entry age. Don't need kids doing the stupid shit we did, especially with social media and the like being so prevalent. It's enough to drive people to do stupid things for the clout!" Oh, Leon so desperately needed to introduce him to Raihan. "So, how old is he, then? Old enough to participate in the League Challenge, yeah?"

"Yeah. He turned fourteen a few months back." His baby brother had been hounding him about coming to visit… Maybe sooner would be better than later? He could always ask Professor Magnolia if he could take the starter Pokémon to Postwick sooner…

"Oh, he's Bede's age." Annie sighed again, "I hope he's sweeter than that kid…"

"I dunno about that, but Hop's a good kid, with a good head on his shoulders," he found himself defending. "He's got the strategy and the motivation to become the next Champion, if he can defeat me. He's amazing."

Ted crossed his arms with a small smile. "Sounds like you're already apart of his fanclub."

Leon offered him a thumbs up and a big grin. "I've been his biggest fan since day one!"


	3. crazy and stupid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hop meets his newest neighbors.

There was a weird lady standing at the front door.

Hop was standing on the bench in the foyer, back pressed against the wall. His mum and grandparents were out in Wedgehurst doing some shopping, leaving him at home to man the fort. Which meant that he'd have to either answer the door or hide until she went away. He really didn't want to talk to her; he had been planning to go hang out with the girls, literally about to leave when he saw her shadow through the window. He was running late now. Gloria was going to smack the shite outta him! She hated tardiness, especially when _he_ was the late one!

A couple tentative knocks against his door shook him from his thoughts. "Hello…?" came a soft voice. Hop side stepped along the bench, leaning to glance around the corner. Sure enough, her silhouette was still there, a single shadow hidden by the curtains on the door. "I swear this is the right house… Champion Leon said--"

Now _that_ had Hop jumping off the bench and crossing the distance in just a second. Leon? What about Leon?

He threw the door open, seeing the lady for the first time. Blue hair was the first thing he noticed, the top of her head just beneath his line of sight. Then he saw her face and he was struck by how she seemed vaguely familiar. She physically jumped back and screamed at his sudden appearance. With outstretched hands, Hop tried to calm her down, "Stop screaming! You're the one at _my house!_ "

"You just threw open the door out of nowhere!" she yelled back, clutching the charm around her neck with one hand and the bag strap over her chest with the other. But that seemed to be enough to calm her down. She inhaled sharply and closed her eyes, straightening her hair before locking her gaze with him. "Sorry, sorry, that was. That was _way uncool._ "

Oh, she had an accent. Interesting. They didn't often get foreigners way out here in Postwick.

Quirking a brow up, Hop grinned at her and extended his hand. "Just a little, yeah. M'name's Ho--"

She slapped her palm into his and shook. "Hop! Champion Leon told us to find you once we got set up here in Postwick." He continued to grin at the excitement coming off of her. "He said you'd be able to point us in the right direction of Pokémon we can catch without battling them."

At that, his grin fell and his head started to spin. Catching Pokémon without battling? Why would she need to do that? Who was this 'us?' What did she mean 'set up?' And when did Lee even talk to her? She was talking but he wasn't processing it. It was too much for him to handle right now. So he started compartmentalizing his thoughts and realized something.

She hadn't introduced herself yet.

He blinked himself out of his stupor to look to her, setting his fists on his hips and offering her an awkward grin. During a pause in her rant, he was finally able to say, "Real hard to help ya out when I don't even know your name." She blinked once, twice, before her face flushed a bright, embarrassed red.

"Oh, yeah, ha, I guess that helps!" She rubbed the back of her head before one wrapped back around the charm around her neck. "I'm Annie. I, uh, I rented out the villa up the way with my brother, so we're…" She trailed off, fingers visibly twitching as she pulled them to her sides. She turned a smile his way. "We're neighbors, kind of!"

Well, that explained why the 'RENT' sign in front of that old villa disappeared recently. And, in a way, it was reassuring to hear that she wasn't just some rando from out of town showing up on his doorstep, asking him to reveal all his catching secrets. (She was still a rando, but it wasn't as bad since she now lived in Postwick.)

He leaned against the doorway, satisfied with her answer. He crossed his arms over his chest and smiled at her, hoping it looked as strong and confident as his big brother's. "Alright, Miss Annie. Nice to meet ya."

She smiled back; that nervousness around her had disappeared. "Nice to meet you, too, Hop. Now, about catching those Pokémon…" She threw a sidelong glance at the hand painted battle ring toward the side of his house. "...I just need to know what Pokémon are where--"

" _ **HOP!**_ "

Oh, he knew that voice better than anything. And it was _angry._ "Sorry, miss, but if I stay here I'm gonna die!" he explained as he pushed passed her. Paling ever so slightly when he heard the angry hooting and hollering of his closest friend, he ran towards the gate and vaulted himself over it. As he landed on the path, he saw their forms sprinting down the way. Yep, he was going to die.

Annie followed after him, easily vaulting the gate as well. He turned to her and saw the intense look on her face. "What!? Why are you going to die!?" Raising a slightly shaking finger, he pointed at the two girls that had stopped in the middle of the road. The woman tilted her head ever so slightly. "...why would they kill you?"

"I'm _late._ "

Gloria put her hands on her hips, huffing indignantly as she stormed up to him. "D'ya have _any_ idea what time it is, you dummy?" she asked, grabbing his collar and completely ignoring Annie. "The Commander and I've been waitin' for _hours!_ We're s'psed to go to Wedgehurst as a _group!_ "

Hop couldn't help but laugh at that. " _Hours?_ Now you're exaggeratin', mate. I shoulda been at your place, what, five minutes ago?" It was always funny to see how how fired up she got -- if she was just yanking him around by the collar, she wasn't as upset as he had thought. She gave him another tug, letting go of jacket and huffing again. He gestured to the woman at his side. "I'm sorry, Glors! I had company!"

The other girl, who had been lagging behind while the two bickered, finally stepped forward with an unsure grin. She set her hand on her shoulder, taking the role of mediator immediately. "C'mon, Gloria, leave him alone. It's not even that late."

The Commander ('Commander' for short!) was another foreigner, but she had been here in Galar for a few months already. Enough to establish herself with the pair, at least, being the perfect third for their group.

She was their age and a bit of a butthead, although it was more goofy and lovable than obnoxious. Despite being the same age, though, she was wisened. Experienced. Her tawny brown skin was a bit more calloused than theirs, and she was stronger than both of them, too - which came from the fact that she had already travelled part of the world, since she was an aspiring Pokémon Professor.

Her curls were tied into two puffs on either side of her head today, hair clips keeping some stray whisps out of her face. Deep brown eyes peered out at him from behind thick glasses, warm and kind. "It's not like he even meant to be late, right, Hop?" He grinned at her, watching as her Sobble crawled out from her bag and onto her shoulder, nuzzling against her face.

(Poor thing had probably freaked out when Gloria started screeching.)

Nodding, he moved to hold his hands behind his head. Bless her for being the voice of reason, else he'd get teased by Gloria all day. "What can I say? I got tied up. Miss Annie here wanted to talk to me, get my expertise on Pokémon catching."

Both girls looked to the woman, who was awkwardly standing there, hand once again tracing over the charm of her necklace. She let go of it to grin at them, reaching her left hand out to them. "Yeah, sorry. I caused him to be late. I'm Annie! I just moved into the villa next to the Slumbering Weald with my brother!"

Commander shook her hand, smiling back. "Sounds like you're Gloria's new neighbor, then. Nice to meet you. Everyone around here calls me Commander, so you can, too!" When she let go of her hand, she nudged her Sobble's cheek. "C'mon, Baby, say hi too!"

"Oh my gosh! That's a Sobble! I saw one in an ad when I was in Wyndon! Isn't that one of the region's starters?" The blue-haired woman squealed when the Water Lizard Pokémon hid his face in Commander's hair. "He's precious!"

"Thanks. Professor Magnolia gave him to me when I first moved here from Sinnoh! He's shy, but don't let that freak you out." Hop grinned, reaching a hand out to brush Baby's cheek. The tiny starter looked at him, wrapping its two tiny fingers around his own before climbing up his arm. She clicked her tongue, crossing her arms and huffing dramatically. "Aw, you stole my Baby."

"What can I say?" he smugly said, smirking ever so slightly. "Pokémon love me!" The Sobble snuggled into the fur of his collar. "...er, maybe Baby likes how soft my jacket is."

Commander nodded sagely. "He does love soft things."

Annie laughed at that, "He really is a baby then! How cute." Then she turned to extend her left hand Gloria, who was staring at her left wrist intensely. "And it's nice to meet you, too. You're Gloria, right? Hop called you that."

He watched as she slapped her palm into hers, shaking her hand confidently. "Yep, that's me." And then, with about as much tact as she usually had, she asked, "So what's the story behind the Mega Ring and the Z-Power Band? You been to Kalos and Alola?"

Hop hadn't even realized she had been wearing them. He followed her gaze and, sure enough, the famous bands were wrapped around her wrist tightly. "Holy shite," he found himself breathing out, yanking her hand from Gloria's to look at the bands there.

"Hop!" she chided, smacking his arm. He paid her no mind.

He stared at the bands before looking back to her face. It might've been a long shot, but things were starting to replay in his head. A Mega Ring? A Z-Power Band? Being a _foreigner?_ And that vague familiarity…

"Ann, they got the PC all set up now, so we can send everyone to the island! Did you find that kid? We need to get to searchin'--" The group whipped around at the newest voice, seeing a giant walking down the path. The man slowed to a stop and stood there, hands flexing around the straps of his backpack. "You've acquired… more children than expected."

She laughed loudly, covering her mouth with her free hand. (She hadn't ripped her other hand from his grasp, seemingly okay with him staring at the power bands.) "That's weird, bro. Don't make me sound weird."

And that was what flipped the switch in his head, instantly realizing who he was talking to.

Holy crap. Holy crap! It was them!

" _You're the Kanto Champion Destroyers!_ " Hop couldn't help the excitement in his voice. Sobble shot up from around his neck at the sudden noise, jumping off without thinking. Commander barely caught him before he hit the ground, giving the boy an angry look. He didn't care, though! Did she know who they were talking to!?

He had watched these two decimate Leagues during Galar's off season for _years!_ They were considered heroes because of their battles with Legendary Pokémon in other regions! They were - well, they were inspirations of his, after Leon and a few others. It would explain why she knew Lee!

Gloria was bouncing on her heels now, seemingly catching his excitement. "You're right. Holy shite, _you're right._ "

Commander looked lost as she cradled Baby to her chest, rubbing its head to try and calm it down. "Uhhh… what."

Ted Rose ( _Ted Rose!_ Alola's first Champion!) looked amongst the kids, then at his sister. He moved his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I thought we weren't telling everyone that."

At that, Annie finally took her hand from Hop, throwing it in the air as she exasperatedly shot back, "I didn't tell them anything! They just saw my bracelets and started goin' off!"

"Hey. Can someone, like, explain what's going on." Commander scooted next to Gloria, bumping her side with her elbow. "Should I know who these two are?"

Hop was bouncing up and down, almost dancing from the sudden burst of energy. "Yeah! They're famous! The Rose siblings of Kanto, the League Champion Destroyers, Annie and Ted! And they're here! You two are here! In Galar! You're gonna take part in the League, aren't ya!?" He was practically _glowing_ with the joy coming off of him. They were gonna take on the League! He'd get to watch them take on the League! One of them would definitely face Lee; they had to! And then Lee would _win_ and he'd be even _cooler!_

At least until Hop came around and won the Champion spot. But he had to get endorsed first...

"Uh." The siblings shared a look before Annie grinned and nodded. Her hands found that charm again. "Yeah, we're here to take on the League at the request of our Uncle."

Commander tilted her head, curiously asking, "Your uncle?"

"Chairman Rose?"

_They were related to the Chairman!?_

"Holy fuck." Hop shot a startled look to Gloria, who had whispered that under her breath. Like, it was the correct response to that, but _really?_ In front of them?

The kids watched as Ted smacked the back of her head lightly. "We're not supposed to tell people that, either!" The woman grumbled, holding the back of her head and curling in on herself just a bit. "But… yeah, that's us. Nice to meet ya." He held his hand out to Hop. "You must be Leon's younger brother, right? Hop?"

Excitedly, he shook his hand. "Yeah, that's me! Nice to meet ya!" Hop gestured to his friends. "The one in the dorky hat is Gloria, and the one with the Sobble is Commander!"

"It's not dorky!"

"Commander?" he repeated, giving the girl a curious look. His brow even did the thing - the thing that it did when he was skeptical! One went up and the other went down!

"It's a nickname, don't worry about it," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Nice to meet you."

Gloria puffed her chest out, setting her hands on her hips. "Nice ta meet ya! I've watched all yer battles!" She gave him a big grin. "You're absolutely incredible, y'know! Your battle style is amazin'!"

It was kind of endearing to watch how the gigantic man blushed at the compliment, looking at the ground. "It's… it's really _not._ But… thanks." It seemed completely out of character for him - someone that had battled evil organizations and Legendary Pokémon since he was a kid - to be embarrassed, but it made him… like, a real person.

"See! It's not all bad. They like us." Annie pat her brother on the shoulder, grinning up at him. She turned that smile to Hop, tilting her head ever so slightly again. "I didn't know you had plans. You're busy, so we'll bug you about Pokémon later."

He spared a look to his friends, who were both looking back at him. Yeah, they had all promised to go hang out in Wedgehurst for today; it'd be super rude of him to just cancel. He nodded and shrunk back. It'd be okay, right? They were his neighbors now!

"Wait, whaddya need ta know?" Gloria stepped forward, chest still puffed out. She was trying to look cooler than what she was. Hop could've laughed at that, but he didn't, since this was kind of a big deal for her. She was usually super reserved when it came to strangers, but it seemed that she was a little more open since she knew of these two. It was a nice change of pace for his best friend.

"Well…" Annie played with her fingers, but didn't break eye contact. "We're looking to find our new partners. Champion Leon said Hop would know the best spot for Pokémon we could catch without battling."

(She spoke with her hands. Hop hadn't picked up on it when watching her videos, since a lot of trainers used their hands when calling out attacks in battle. But she used her hands _all the time._ It made him happy, 'cause that was something he did, too.)

Commander stepped forward, grinning and adjusting her glasses. "If you want easy to catch Pokémon, come with us to Wedgehurst! Route 1 is home to a lot of cool Pokémon. They're pretty "low level" in comparison to those you'd find in the Wild Area, but that means they're more inclined to stay in a Pokéball!" As if catching herself rambling, she stopped and scratched at her cheek. Her Sobble made its way to her shoulder. "A-at least, that's what I've learned from studying them with Sonia…"

Annie gave the girl a critical look. "We wouldn't want to infringe upon your trip…"

Gloria put her hands on her hips again. "Please! Neither of ya would be infringin' on us, right Hop? It'd be cool to walk with ya!"

He nodded, looking between the two adults. They looked apprehensive. "Yeah! I'll show you where all the Yampers like to hide; they're super friendly, so catching one without battling shouldn't be hard!"

Ted, surprisingly, was the first to respond. "Alright. We'll go with ya. But if you want us to leave, let us know and we'll get out of your hair." He looked to Annie, who was picking at the cuff of her sweater. "Right?"

"Yeah! We don't want to get in the way of group bonding!" She made a fist in front of her chest, the smile on her face bright and warm. It was almost blinding. "You have to make amazing friendships when you're young, you know?"

The three kids nodded, with Hop acting as their leader. "Yeah, we get it." He looked between his two friends and grinned, already starting to walk north. "Then we should get goin', yeah? Glors, you stay between The Commander and I, alright? Can't have you gettin' jumped by wild Pokémon while we're in the fields."

She rolled her eyes and gave a harsh sigh, falling in line behind him. "Aye, aye. Whatever. S'not like I can't just--" She mimicked running off. "--bolt away from them. They don't like goin' into town, so if I can make it there, I'll be fine."

"Oh?" Annie quickly ran forward, slowing to walk next to Gloria. "The Pokémon here give chase?"

Commander stepped in before the other could answer. "Oh yeah, it's super cool. Where as the Pokémon in other regions are more like ambush predators, in the sense that they hide in the grass, Galarian Pokémon are more like pursuit predators! They will approach their prey, rather than wait for it to come to them. It means they're all pretty aggressive though…" Realizing she was rambling again, she ended with a firm, "At least, that's what I learned from Sonia."

Ted took to the other side of Gloria, tossing an empty Pokéball into the air as they walked. Hop detoured from the empty main path (the quickest way to and from Wedgehurst) and made extra sure to show off the tall patches of grass of Route 1, pointing where Pokémon liked to lurk and explaining what he could. What he couldn't, though, was taken over by Commander. Gloria just followed along, trailing her fingers over the tips of the grass.

When he looked at her, she looked just a bit bummed. He knew how she felt about not having her own Pokémon yet.

The fields seemed pretty quiet. Hardly any of the usual wild Pokémon peered out, and those that did ran off. Hop wondered if they could feel the power coming off of the adults. He certainly did. There was something in the way they held themselves that seemed inherently _powerful._ They carried themselves like Leon did. Strong. Capable. Confident.

Loud growling ripped him from his thoughts, and Hop was yanked back by Gloria before he could trip and fall into a skirmish between a wild Yamper and Nickit. The electric Puppy Pokémon was baring its teeth, yipping its warning. The Fox Pokémon was circling it, nipping at its paws before jumping away.

"Another territory fight," he whispered, pushing the group back. His hand found its way to his Wooloo's Pokéball, prepared to pull the little guy out to protect his group. It had been happening more and more frequently since this new pack of Nickits had moved in.

Sparks of electricity came off the Yamper as it lunged forward, desperately trying to Tackle the Nickit and send it away. But the Fox was too fast, dodging back with something akin to a cackle. This back and forth went on for a bit and he watched as the Nickit continued to use Hone Claws between dodges. Hop was starting to sweat. Two angry Pokémon may be too much for his Wooloo, even more so if one of them was using a stat boosting move…

Just as he opened his mouth to tell everyone to back off, there was a rush of movement passed him. "Ann, no!" he heard Ted call, watching as the woman jumped between the two battling Pokémon.

She had a big grin on her face, even when she ended up taking the brunt of the Nickit's Quick Attack. She did wince a bit when the Yamper Tackled her legs, but she didn't fall or stumble. Instead, she picked the wild Pokémon up by the scruff of their necks and gave them a firm look. Hop's jaw fell open.

As if sensing her firm aura, both Pokémon gave up their fight in her hold. She smiled at them. "You two shouldn't fight, you know? You'll get hurt." The Yamper yipped, tail already wagging a mile a minute. They were a friendly species of Pokémon, which made them lovable. It seemed this one had already gotten over their battle being interrupted as it excitedly licked her face. She laughed, "Aw, you're cute!"

Nickit, on the other hand, looked less than pleased. It wasn't growling, but it had its sharp fangs bared. It was upset that it had been caught. "Miss Annie, you really should put it down," Hop heard Gloria instruct. "They're cunnin' little things. It'll bite when it thinks it has the chance."

But the woman shook her head, crouching back to the ground to set both of the Pokémon down. Yamped rubbed itself against her legs, happy to have been noticed. She pet its head but maintained eye contact with the Fox. "Nah. A bite from a little thing like this won't hurt too bad."

As if proving her point, she stuck her hand out for it to sniff. Immediately, it bit her fingers. It kept its jaw locked, waiting for her to yank her hand away. But she didn't, even when she started to bleed a bit.

Ted stepped forward. "Sis, you're--"

She held up a hand to stop him from approaching, digging into a pouch on her side before pulling out an Oran berry and setting it in front of Nickit. Hesitantly, the Fox Pokémon looked between her and the food. Then it let go of her hand and sniffed the berry, taking a bite from it. She grinned and rubbed the blood off on her jacket before she gestured to where they had been fighting. "He was hungry, and this little guy was hoarding berries!"

Sure enough, hidden among the grass was a small pile of berries. Commander spoke first, "I didn't even know Yampers could hoard berries… They're usually so focused on corralling Wooloo or finding people…"

Gloria nudged Hop in the back, bringing his attention back to the woman sitting in the grass. She was digging in her bag. He watched with wide eyes as she pulled out two Love Balls. She looked at the pink Pokéballs and sighed, "I usually have a female Pokémon as my front runner when I use these so they work better, but I don't have my old team and these are the only ones I have on hand." She looked to the Nickit, who had berry juice dripping down its muzzle. She extended her hand out again.

Carefully, the Pokémon stepped forward to smell her fingers. Then it sat down and stared at her. The kids had all fallen silent.

She smiled, pressing the Pokéball against its forehead. It opened with a beam of blue light, capturing the Pokémon. "But I'm a girl, so it should work, huh?" Once, twice, three times it shook in her grasp. Then it beeped.

She had caught it.

Turning to look at the other Pokémon by her side, she held up the other Pokéball. "Care to join me, too?" she asked. The Yamper barked excitedly. She tapped the Pokéball to its forehead and once more, it opened with a beam of blue light. It shook in her palm before beeping.

Annie looked to the group, smiling at them. That just happened! It really happened! He got to see one of the famed Champion Destroyers catch not one, but _two Pokémon!_

Hop couldn't help it; he screamed with excitement.

She screamed back, not as excited.

A flock of Rookidee took off, clearly startled by the sudden noise. One smacked Ted hard in the chest. He caught it in his arms, frowning when he saw it had knocked itself out. "Well, guess this is fate, huh?" he mumbled, taking the Pokéball he had been tossing and tapping it against the Tiny Bird Pokémon.

When all was said and done (and Annie's hand had been properly bandaged), the kids started talking. _Fast._ How had she managed to do that? Did getting hit with a Quick Attack hurt? How hard was Ted's chest that it could knock a Pokémon out? Were they going to nickname the Pokémon?

Annie looked at the two Love Balls, then at Hop. "Of course I'm gonna nickname them. They're my partners now!" And then, sheepishly, she asked, "...what are these Pokémon, exactly?"

Oh. Right.

Neither of them had a Pokédex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> commander is my friend.... commander....  
> her trainersona, at least!


	4. she prefers "young and wisened"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> professor magnolia educates her pupil and a pair of idiots.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's mentions of pokemon abuse in this, tread carefully, kids!
> 
> also chatr is pokemon twitter and its icon is a chatot @ me if you want to fight

Professor Magnolia wasn't a weak woman. Frail? Maybe, but that was because of her old age. She wasn't as young as she once was, and the creaking of her bones and the pain in her joints reflected that. But by no means was she weak. She could stand on her own two feet, display her findings with her back straight and head held high. She was the Pokémon Professor of Galar, after all. And she was damn good at her job.

It's why she was a little put off by her newest pupil's inability to let her work in peace. Commander would follow her around the lab, buzzing around her like a Combee to flowers, trying to see what she could do to help. While Magnolia appreciated the girl's dedication to learning everything she could, it made working at her usual breakneck pace nigh impossible. She'd have to slow down to explain and answer questions.

Usually, the Pokémon Professor could handle it by sending the young girl off with Sonia to collect samples, but her granddaughter was currently out to grab the guests she was expecting. That meant that she had the excited girl watching as she worked, asking as many questions as possible. She hated to admit it, but she looked forward to when she and Sonia would head out in a week or so to do exploring while the League was in season. The older woman appreciated her pupil's dedication to learning, but today wasn't the day for that.

After all, today's agenda included was packed. It began with her working with the Ponyta some Pokémon rescuers had brought to her homestead a while back. The poor thing had been rescued from an abusive home where she had been maltreated and beaten, with ribs poking through her sides and the broken leg she had come with acting as the proof. Magnolia was working with the lass to try and get her more comfortable, but the Pokémon was still exceptionally timid.

It wasn't like she could blame her. Pokémon depended on the relationship with their trainers to be safe, and if that trust was damaged the results were catastrophic on the Pokémon's mental health. The fact that the little Ponyta was willing to let her help spoke volumes; she was still willing to trust someone, as long as they earned it.

"Professor, is there anything I can do to help today?" The older woman looked up from Ponyta, turning to glance at the girl. She was shuffling under her gaze, hands behind her back. She looked unsure, standing in her greenhouse. It was quite the change from her usually confident pupil. "It's just that… well, Sonia and I would usually be out on Route 1 or 2, looking for samples for you right now. It's… weird, not doing that." Magnolia stared at her critically.

Would she just say what she meant? Youngsters nowadays were always so evasive with talking about their true feelings; all of them were so skilled with dancing around the subject. "What is it, child?" she asked, turning back to the Horn Pokémon. The Ponyta closed her eyes as the Professor rubbed some salve into the scarring on her leg. "I can't understand what it is you want if you don't tell me."

The loud, irritated sigh from behind her was all she needed to hear. "Well, Professor, I guess I'm just _bored_." At that, the older woman gestured for her to come closer. There was a moment of hesitation, but then the girl moved to her side. Magnolia handed her the jar of salve before pointing to the scarring.

"While the break within her leg was healed thanks to the specialized machines at the Pokémon Center, there is still scarring from the initial damage." She held one of the girl's hands within her own, moving to have her scoop some of the salve out. "Galarian Ponyta pride themselves on their pristine coats. While she won't be returning to the wild, especially after what she's gone through, I think it'd be a shame to let this scarring go on." As she spoke, she showed her how to properly rub it into the skin. The Ponyta opened her eyes, glancing between the two ladies nervously.

"Ah… That makes sense. I wouldn't want to have to look at something that hurt me, either…" Commander watched as the Ponyta calmed when Professor Magnolia stopped her, having the girl hold her hand out for Horn Pokémon to sniff. After a moment, her eyes closed again. "...am I okay to touch her now?"

"Yes, you are. Slow and steady, child. We don't want to overwhelm or worry her by going too fast." Magnolia watched as Commander carefully applied the salve, smiling softly as the girl whispered praises to the Pokémon for remaining calm.

"Will this stuff help with the scars?" she asked softly, not taking her eyes off of Ponyta's leg.

Magnolia nodded, "Indeed it will. It's a special mix I made from the herbs in this very room" The girl hummed her acknowledgement but didn't respond, focused on her work. Well. It seemed her pupil had that under control. Onwards towards the other tasks she needed to finish for the day.

It took a moment, but the Professor was able to get out of the chair by her examination table, her hand finding her cane and using it as support. Without looking, her pupil sat in it and continued to work with the Ponyta. Another small smile crossed her face as she threw one last glance to the pair. While she may be a bit rowdy, that girl was a good one. Reminded her of Sonia at that age.

With a soft sigh, Professor Magnolia walked through her living room and into her kitchen. She paid a glance to the clock as she walked, deciding that it was probably time to start the tea for her company. Sonia would be back any minute with the two Champion Destroyers.

So she began her work, humming to herself as she prepared the tea and collected what she needed. Chairman Rose had visited a while back, giving her two Rotom Phone models and instructing her to make sure they were equipped with both the Pokédex app and the Wishing Star Sensor app she had made. He had also given her two Wishing Star pieces and asked her to make them into Dynamax bands.

He had explained that his niece and nephew were coming to Galar at his request, taking on the League to either claim the title of Champion or show the world that even famous _Champion Destroyers_ couldn't beat their Leon. While she found the request a little odd (she had only ever given the prototype software of the Wishing Sensor to that boy of his, Bede), she complied. It wasn't in her nature to stick her nose in the family business of the Chairman, afterall.

It was, however, completely in her nature to pick the brain of those that came to Galar from other regions. To see what they knew of their own regions, to hear of the starkest differences between Galar and other places, to learn of the attitudes of Pokémon foreign to her. The first evening Commander stayed with her, she and the girl had stayed up until five in the morning discussing Pokémon and research. It had been exhilarating.

She wondered just what tales these Champion Destroyers would bring for her.

Just as the kettle on her stovetop began to whistle, the door to her home was thrown open. "Nan! Mandy! I'm back, and I have the Rose kids, too!" Sonia greeted, stepping inside and kicking her shoes off. Magnolia didn't turn around, instead focusing on putting together the cups of tea while her granddaughter and guests came in. "Just kick your shoes off by the door, Gramps doesn't like it when people trek dirt all through his house."

Finally, the Professor turned to the trio, tray with teacups in hand. Sonia looked pleased as punch as the duo filed in behind her, looking around the kitchen with varying levels of excitement. Her eyes scanned them in search of any obvious information. Nothing struck her other than the Mega Ring and Z-Power Bands on the left wrists of both siblings. The Chairman had mentioned them being regaled as the Heroes of Kalos and Alola. It seemed that those were the medals of those tribulations, in their own sense.

Loud footsteps thudded through the living room, Commander sticking her head through the archway with an irritated look on her face. "Sonia, quiet down! I'm with _the patient!_ " she sharply hissed through clenched teeth, finger to her lips. That irritated look fell into a small smile when she saw the siblings. She stuck her hand in and waved, softly greeting them. "Hey, g'afternoon. Nice to see you guys again!"

The woman - Annie, if she remembered correctly - smiled back, softly calling back, "Nice to see you, too, Commander!"

The man - Ted, right? Or was it Theodore? - gave her a single wave. "Nice to see ya." But then his gaze was back to the Professor, crossing the distance between them in a couple large steps. "Do you need help, ma'am?" he asked, reaching for the tray in her hand.

Professor Magnolia was not a weak woman.

With the skill of someone that had done it thousands of times, she picked up the base of her cane and used the top to smack his hand away. The teacups barely moved, hand surprisingly steady. He reeled back in surprise.

She managed to give him a strict look, irritation trying to slip in the cracks of her facade but failing. She had had decades to figure out how to keep the perfect poker face. "No, I can handle this, young man." She heard the snickers of her granddaughter and her pupil, choosing to ignore the fact that they knew her weakness.

'Ma'am.' How cheeky was this brat, to call her that? Age was a sensitive subject to a woman, afterall, and being called 'ma'am' only made her feel older.

He at least had the decency to look embarrassed, taking a couple steps back to clear the air. The Professor set the tray on the table, moving the teacups, cream, and sugar off of it before taking it back to the counter. Sonia stepped forward with a grin, pulling one of the chairs at the table out and taking a seat. "Nan doesn't like it when people call her 'ma'am,'" she explained, reaching for a teacup. When neither of the siblings moved, she gestured for them to come closer. "C'mon, take a seat! We don't bite, promise! ...wait, we'll have to get another chair."

Magnolia grabbed a tin of biscuits, the Rotom Phones, and the Dynamax Bands from a drawer in the countertop, bringing them with her as she returned to the table to take a seat. She balanced her cane against the table and went to pop the lid off the tin.

The siblings shared a look before glancing at the third and final chair at the table. "Commander, you said you had a patient?" Annie asked softly, turning her gaze to the girl. Magnolia raised a brow at the sudden question.

She nodded, placing her hands on her hips. "I do! I'm helping a Ponyta right now."

Theodore (or Ted?) stepped towards the girl, hands shoved in his pockets. "Can I see it?" Again, the girl nodded, leading him through the living room and to the greenhouse with a wide smile. They could already hear her chatting away to him.

Ah. Mayhaps he had some kind of anxiety? While she was a bit bothered that she wouldn't be able to pick his brain, she understood. Not everyone did well in these types of conversations.

Annie took the final seat, grinning at the two other women. "Guess we won't need that chair, huh? That's fine!" She extended her hand towards the Professor. "Professor Magnolia, right? I'm Annie, it's wonderful to meet you!"

Carefully, she wrapped her hand around the other's. A handshake said a lot about a person; it was a fine science that had taken years of personal research to finally understand. Annie's told her that she was confident, if not a little anxious, too. Someone that could be rattled, but wouldn't let the shake define them.

The slight tremble to her hand would be imperceivable to most others. The tiny twitches of her fingers could be mistaken as flexing, or gaining a better hold. The shaking of her arm as she pulled away could be played off as something different entirely. But Magnolia knew. Somehow, she always knew.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance," the Professor responded, sliding the biscuit tin her way.

"Ooh, you have cookies!" she excitedly murmured, grabbing one and taking a bite.

Sonia sighed good naturedly, rolling her eyes. "I forgot you yanks call biscuits the wrong thing." But the way she spoke, softly and teasingly, told Magnolia that she wasn't annoyed. Her granddaughter had always been good at establishing quick friendships; it seemed she had formed one with the other woman, if her sudden bark of laughter at that 'joke' told her anything.

She covered her mouth immediately after laughing, trying to save some of her dignity. "They're not _biscuits_ though? Biscuits are bread! This is a delicious confectionery delight - a cookie!" As if to punctuate her point, she took another bite.

Sonia laughed and Magnolia was struck by how she had heard her granddaughter laugh more in the past months than she had in years. She tucked that sentimentality away, instead turning to the blue-haired woman. One of her slitted eyebrows raised itself as she chewed, pressing the woman to say whatever it was she had on her mind.

So, the older woman smiled and said, "I've been told by the Chairman that I'm to expect great things from you two."

She coughed and smacked her chest, clearing her throat with a hack. Sonia handed her a teacup, which she greedily drank from. Then she set the cup down, scratching at her cheek nervously. "I, uh… Gosh, I guess Uncle really has been talkin' us up, huh?" Her fingers twitched and she grabbed at a charm around her neck.

"Well, of course he has!" Sonia leaned against the table, resting her elbows on top and holding her face in her hands. "From what he told Nan, you two are skilled trainers! You've beaten Leagues, battled Legendary Pokémon, and saved whole regions!"

"I mean… we have. But Teddy's the skilled one. I, uh, I only have my team to thank for that." Her expression was soft and fond. "I love all of them a whole lot, and I wouldn't've made it without them, you know?"

Magnolia laid her hand on Sonia's arm as a signal to let it go, well aware that her granddaughter would fight that kind of logic. She had seen her do it many times throughout her childhood. The ginger-haired woman sighed, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back. Sometimes, one didn't have to battle a trainer just because their eyes met.

"Your team is exceptionally strong, from what Chairman Rose told me when he came to drop off these." At that, the Pokémon Professor of Galar pushed the tray with the Rotom Phones and Dynamax Bands her way, motioning towards the set that belonged to her. The young woman blinked and looked between them.

But instead of going for the Rotom Phone, she grabbed the white Dynamax Band and flipped it over in her hands. It was beautifully crafted, if Magnolia had to be honest. Something Rose had clearly had made before bringing it to her to place the Wishing Star in. It was delicate, compared to the bands most wore, being thinner than usual and set with a white lace frill. Rather than the blue and red accents, it had soft pink.

It was girly, and clearly meant to match the woman sitting across from her.

"...every region has one nowadays, I swear," she murmured, finding the opening clasp and slapping the cuff on her right wrist. She twisted it around, looking at the black screen that held the Wishing Stone. She tapped against it, watching as the light came on with intense interest. "If you don't mind me asking, Professor, what does this band do?"

Magnolia sipped her tea before answering. "That's a Dynamax Band. Are you familiar with the Dynamaxing phenomena of Galar at all?"

Annie nodded, still looking at the band. She kept flexing her fingers, testing her grip with it on her wrist. "Vaguely. Dynamaxing is what those big ass Pokémon we passed on the train were doing, right?"

Sonia snorted, "'Big ass' is one way to refer to them." But then she was digging for her Rotom Phone, tapping against it and pulling up one of the Champion's battles with Charizard to show her. "To sum it up, Dynamaxing allows a Pokémon to manipulate and distort the space around it to change their size and affect the world for a short period of time. Basically, they get bigger and stronger, with moves they can only do while Dynamaxed. It's not an unlimited power, though! Pokémon can only do it in certain spots. We call 'em Power Spots! Most of the Gyms in Galar are built on these, and there are some in the Wild Area. It's why you saw some 'big ass' Pokémon out in the wild - some trainers had gone into the Power Spot dens to battle 'em."

The other young woman nodded as she watched. "Interesting… It's like an intensified Z-move, almost, except they get bigger, too. And it doesn't require the Pokémon to hold an item to do it... Hm."

Ah yes, the famed Z-moves of Alola. Magnolia did want to ask about those.

She pointed at the Charizard on screen. "That Charizard looks different, though. Like it's form's shifted a bit."

"Astute observation, Miss Annie!" Sonia cheekily said. "That would be Gigantamax - the Pokémon also manipulates the space around them to drastically change their appearance in addition to becoming incredibly strong. Think Dynamax plus, limited edition. Only certain Pokémon can Gigantamax!"

"Mega Evolution meets Z-move and grows huge… Man, that's powerful. Could level a city, if you aren't careful."

"Oh, it has. Well, levelled part of the Wild Area. Leon got too cocky with his Charizard and misjudged just how powerful his attack would be…"

Oh, and the famous Mega Evolutions of Kalos. She so did want to talk about that, too.

Annie reached for the other Dynamax Band. While it wasn't so clearly _girly_ , this one was also excellently crafted. A pristine, snowy white in color with an inside lined with the softest fur Magnolia had ever felt. It was styled less like a sweatband and more like a rolex, the screen for the Wishing Star smaller and more compact. The Chairman had either wanted to spoil his niece and nephew or make a good impression _by_ spoiling them. She had yet to figure out which was true.

"And this one is Teddy's, yeah?" she asked, flipping it over in her hands again. She set it back down after a moment, looking to her own band once again.

Magnolia nodded, reaching forward to tap the screens of the phones before her. "It is. The Rotom Phones are yours, as well."

Two tiny Plasma Pokémon appeared before the phones, swooping in the air dramatically before combining with the devices. The two phones floated into the air, going through their initial boot-up phase before falling back to the table.

Hesitantly, Annie reached forward and grabbed one. The phone chimed happily, " **User set up complete! Thank you for using Rotomi Corp!** " And then, it pulled itself from her grasp to float before her again.

Sonia couldn't help but laugh at the mystified expression that crossed the other's face. "You haven't seen a Rotom Phone before, have ya?"

Her blue hair wildly flew around her as she shook her head. "No! No way! I just… oh my gosh, I shouldn't be surprised since Alola had a Rotom Pokédex but… Rotom in a smartphone?" She dug around in her pocket, pulling an old model even Magnolia considered to be defunct out. "I was amazed when I got this but this is just… so much cooler!"

Sonia laughed and swiped the older phone from her hand. "I can show you how to link your accounts and stuff! Then you can give this fossil to the fossil researcher!"

Annie yanked it back, holding it protectively against her chest. "I-I can figure it out! It can't be much harder than setting up a Chatr, right?" She shook her head, as if clearing her thoughts. "That's not important! What's important is that I have a cool new phone!" Her old phone made its way back into her pocket as she stuck her hand out.

Rotom landed in her grasp and she held onto it gently. She tapped on the screen, sticking her tongue out as she did so. She was probably finalizing her Pokébank account on there. Magnolia took another sip of her tea. "The Chairman told me to install it with my custom software: the Galar Pokédex and the Wishing Star Sensor. They're both self-explanatory."

"Mhm, I know my way around a 'dex." She dug into her pockets once more, pulling out two Love Balls. "I hope it'll register Kitsune-san and Yamyam… I caught them before getting this."

The Professor nodded, grabbing a biscuit and taking a bite. "It should. The Pokédex scans through all registered Pokéballs in your account and updates as needed."

"Nice. I need to go show Teddy this, it's so cool--"

" _Dammit!_ "

Both young ladies were up in an instant at the pained curse, making their way towards the archway. Magnolia took a bit longer to get up but motioned for them to go on ahead. She grabbed a first-aid kit from one of the counter drawers on her way out. She had done this long enough to know when someone's hurt themselves.

Making her way through the home, she stopped when she saw the two women standing in the archway. The Professor squeezed passed them, paling when she saw the Ponyta being held in Theodore's arms. Her horn was clearly embedded in his shoulder, sparks of psychic energy coming from her. Commander was standing behind the Pokémon, looking ready to faint in an instant.

But rather than trying to yank to Ponyta off and away or fighting her off, the man was petting her mane. "I scared you," he hissed through clenched teeth. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to spook ya."

The Pokémon was braying, stamping her hooves against the ground. He had scared her, clearly. And she retaliated by attacking him. Magnolia looked to Sonia, who nodded and called her Yamper from his Pokéball. She could have him paralyze the Ponyta so they could safely pull her away and assess the wound.

But the psychic energy started to solidify the more he comforted the Pokémon, running his fingers through the cloud like hair. "I didn't mean to, I promise. I just wanted to get a look at your leg. I'm sorry, I really am."

The Ponyta pulled her horn from where it had impaled his arm, instead setting it just above the wound. The psychic energy gathered and healed the injury, and she looked to the man. He smiled at the Pokémon. She set her nose on his shoulder, closing her eyes.

"It's rumored that Galarian Ponyta can see the contents of one's heart," Magnolia started. That was the only explanation, correct? To so suddenly take back the pain she caused. "If they find evil there, they'll run away."

He rolled his shoulder and pat her head, fingers careful of her horn. "I think she was just upset she hurt me. I scared her pretty bad, as the kiddo."

"He was just trying to look at her leg, but I forgot to tell him to go slow and--" Commander sucked in a big breath. "We don't have to go to the hospital since he's okay, right?"

"Nah, I'm good. She took care of me." Theodore went to stand up, but the Pokémon made herself comfortable on his lap. He sat there, glancing between the Ponyta and the others. "Um… I don't think she's gonna move."

It was the most comfortable Professor Magnolia had seen the Pokémon since she had come to her home. "I'm tempted to believe the rumors then. She found good in you and doesn't want it to go." She grinned at the man, shuffling forward to kneel and check his wound.

"I can't _stay here,_ " he countered, focusing on the Pokémon as she poked and prodded. Sure enough, he was healed just fine. No sign of any damage having been taken at all.

"He could take her!" Commander immediately offered. "Her leg is all healed and as long as he puts the scar stuff on her, she'll be okay, right?"

"W-what?" Sonia stepped forward. "We're supposed to rehabilitate her, yeah? She can't be rehabilitated if she's not here!"

"This is the most comfortable she's looked since I've seen her, Sonia." Magnolia stood up, bracing herself on her cane. "I trust her judgement."

"I trust her judgement, too, but…" The ginger glanced at the man petting the Horn Pokémon, keeping her calm as he rubbed smears of blood from her horn. "Alright, _fine._ Maybe you have a point."

Annie grinned, setting her hands on her hips. "Of course she has a point, she's a Ponyta with a horn, you know?" She laughed at her own joke, even when Sonia and Commander groaned loudly. After a moment, she smiled at her brother. "Guess that makes us even with team count right now, huh, bro?"

He shrugged, wedging his arms underneath her prone form and picking her up as he stood. She barely made a sound, content resting against him. She had found safety, eh? "If she wants to come with me, then that's okay. I'll take care of her."

A grin was passed between the siblings. "With that settled, you can finally come to the kitchen and stop hiding! You have to come see all this cool stuff Unc got us, Teddy!"

He hid his face in her mane. "I wasn't hiding. I was… investigating."

Commander deadpanned. "You told me you were hiding."

He looked offended. "I trusted you not to tell anyone!"

She cackled loudly, "You trusted wrong!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heheheheehe we're getting there, kids. the next couple chapters are gonna introduce a bunch of new characters and then... we start the league!


	5. now loading multiplayer...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...pvp enabled.

**Leader Amber**  
With trembling palms, Amber held her phone before her and watched the breakdown of the match from just before her. It was the week leading up to the opening day of the League Challenge and, as was tradition, it was pitting each of the Major League Gyms against the famed Champion of Galar in a series of exhibition matches.

Monday had seen Milo and Nessa showing off their stuff but inevitably losing against the Champion. Monday... It had been just yesterday, but it already seemed like it had happened weeks ago. But now it was Tuesday, and the clock was ticking down to her match. Even earlier today, less than three hours ago, Kabu had faced off against Leon. It seemed like it had happened days ago. And now...

She inhaled, letting go of her Rotom Phone to let it float as she wrapped her arm around the shoulders of her little brother. Allister leaned his head against her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her middle, glancing up at her with unsure eyes. Without his mask, he wasn't terrifying or mysterious. He was just her nervous little brother that worked far too hard for someone his age.

She could feel the tug on her heartstrings and she leaned down to press a chaste kiss to his forehead. If he looked so unsure, she could only wonder what she looked like without hers - without her only protection from the outside world knowing what she was feeling. It was her defense, her edge, her everything.

...and now, it was her turn to face the great Champion of Galar herself. She was the newest Ghost-type Gym Leader, working beside her younger brother, and it was time to make her debut.

Carefully, she untangled herself from him. The whole reason she was here was to support him, after all. She needed to get herself under control, to be the calm and collected adult that he needed. Softly, ever so softly, she ran her fingers through his hair. Unsure eyes closed and he let out a soft sigh.

"Are you… sure you want to do this?" he asked, voice warbling but not unsteady. Somehow it was a beautiful oxymoron, just like her brother. He looked up at her, not tearing his eyes away. "I can… I can do it, if you d-don't want to."

She turned her gaze from him, glancing to her Rotom Phone and watching the playback of Kabu's match again. Then, she lowered her stare to the Gengar mask in her lap, going over the cracks and chips in it with her eyes. Her hands moved to hold the ceramic faceplate, tracing over it with her fingers. A lump gathered in her throat, tight and painful with fear and anxiety. It wasn't much of an exaggeration to say that millions of people would be watching her, judging her. She would be at the forefront of Galar's mind, at least for a bit. And that was terrifying.

But she swallowed that lump down. For him.

"I want to do it," she affirmed with a soft smile. "You did it last year, all by yourself. And this year… Well, this year I'm a Gym Leader too, aren't I?" Allister nodded. "So I should be the one to do it. To show that us Ghost-types are strong across the board!"

He gave her a soft smile of his own and her heart swelled. Her little brother was so cute. "Mum said you'd say something like that." He scratched the side of his face with one hand, the other clutching his mask close to his chest. "...I'm glad you'll be with me this year."

"I should've stepped up sooner. I guess I was… scared, Alli. Of all this. I'm sorry you had to endure it by yourself." He leaned his head against her shoulder again. Acceptance. The siblings sat in comfortable silence, staring at the door. They remained there, even when the lights flickered out from the lack of movement.

The alarm on her Rotom Phone went off after another stretch of time. She glanced at it briefly before turning it off. Her first pre-game interview was approaching quickly. She'd be seated across from Leon and asked questions. And then… And then… And then she'd battle the Champion. It had been how many years since they had last battled one another? At least ten. They had both been kids back then, both of them still learning about who they were. She had won. The result this time would be different, for sure.

Amber nudged Allister with her shoulder to get him to move. When he stood up, very much like the Ghosts she adored, she glided through the darkness to pull on the last of her uniform. First, her mask was placed over her face, tied carefully around her head until it was snug. While it made seeing difficult, she was used to it. Her second home was in the darkness, and that was definitely in the edgiest way possible.

Next, she counted her Pokéballs and adjusted her Dynamax Band. Everyone was accounted for. She could feel their excited energy from where she touched them and the fear and anxiety clouding her head started to disappear. Her Pokémon were ready to show off what they were made of - it'd be rude of her not to do the same.

Allister had stood up, too, walking towards the door. They both slid through the room in such a way that the sensor couldn't pick their movements up, the darkness hiding every step they took. "I'll see you… after the battle," he murmured as the door slid open.

"No, Allister."

With the confidence she only felt with her Pokémon by her side, Amber floated across the room to stand before her brother. He had already stepped out, mask still clutched to his chest. The hand she had unconsciously reached out was pulled back. She wasn't quite ready to make that final step out. While she wasn't feeling as unsure, she wasn't… ready yet.

"I want you to come onto the field with me." Galar needed to see the pair together, to not mistake her brother's absence as weakness. She was only here because of him and the millions of people that were about to watch her needed to know.

"You… want me to walk out with you?" he asked. Even if she was basically blind and unable to read his expressions, she knew that tone of voice. He was surprised and just a bit embarrassed. Amber couldn't help but smile; even after eleven years, he was still the cutest kid she had ever known.

"Of course I do." She stuck her hands in the pockets of her sweatshirt and focused intently on him. "You're the reason I got this position, little brother." He shuffled loud enough for her to hear it and - yup, that was embarrassment. He had never been able to handle compliments well. "Besides, the two Ghost-type Leaders of Stow-on-side should be seen together. Gotta show off how powerful we are!"

"Okay… If you want that, then I will." He nodded and took a step back, and she watched as he put his mask while the doors slid shut.

She didn't move and stared at where he had been. Her fingers flexed with the last bits of her nervous energy; she was going to do this. To make life easier for Allister, for their mum… She was going to do this.

And then she heard her dearest brother raise his voice. "S-she'll come o-out when she's ready!"

Amber didn't consider herself someone that got angry easily, but hearing Allister sound so _upset?_ Well, she couldn't help it. Her blood ran hot but she was cold, like ice had decided to collect on her being. Anger was an incredible thing - her apprehension to step out was gone.

The doors slid open and she pulled her baby brother to her chest, her protective instincts kicking in as she glared at whoever dared upset him. She was thankful for her mask; it hid the surprise on her face at the sight of another Gym Leader.

The eighth Major Gym Leader, the famous Dragon Tamer: Raihan. She had encountered him a few times, mostly in passing when she would take Allister to and from League meetings. Never this close.

Now that she could see him, she knew for sure: he was fucking gorgeous.

She caught her surprise and attraction before any sound could leave her mouth, choosing to seethe instead. He had been teasing Allister and that was a crime punishable by death, regardless of who you were. "Bullying my brother? I don't take kindly to assholes, even if you are a fellow Leader."

Allister looked up at her and she could feel his upset gaze from beneath his mask. His hands came to hold onto her arms and she was shocked to find them not shaking. "Amber, I-I was doing okay..."

She tapped the mouth of her mask to his forehead - another chaste kiss of affection. "You were doing wonderful." And he was. He had raised his voice _and_ he wasn't shaking? That was unheard of for him. But she let go of him to lock the coldest glare she could on the man. She knew he couldn't see her face but she didn't care. He was bullying her brother. Her voice was a low hiss, "Raihan." Despite the anger she felt, she couldn't deny how nice his name was on her tongue.

He offered her a grin and her heart thudded when she saw his canines peek passed his lips. As soon as he opened his mouth, she squashed the pounding and started to walk towards him. She had to make a point now. He had always seemed so smooth when she had seen and heard of him in the past, but now he looked sheepish, staring at her legs rather than her face as he spoke, "I'm sorry, I really wasn't trying to--"

She tilted her head back to stare at him as she cut him off. "Don't do it again. You get," she held up her left pointer finger, outfitted in a glove that matched Allister's, "one chance. Make Allister upset again, I make you regret it."

He gulped and she couldn't help but grin as he stuttered over his words, "U-Understood, Miss Ghost." What was the fuss with him all about? She had him reigned in with a single threat. Maybe the Dragon Tamer was the one that needed to be tamed?

With newfound confidence, Amber turned to her brother. He was a dark blob, now that she was too far away to clearly see him. But she knew him, knew his blob. So she extended her hand his way and smiled. "You coming, Alli?"

Once her brother's hand was clasped within her own, the siblings began their walk down the hallway. She couldn't help but watch Raihan from the corner of her eyes as they passed, almost flinching when the gap in her mask allowed him to lock eyes with her. But she kept her cool, made sure her glance was fleeting, and sighed before looking back ahead.

It was time.

**Researcher Andy**  
With bated breath, Andy clung to the rails of Motostoke stadium. Whatever she had been expecting for the Champion's exhibition match had been blown out of the water by the battle before her. Everything was so much cooler than she had anticipated, was so much more amazing. Dynamaxing was amazing. Raihan was amazing.

And Champion Leon? Well, he was amazing, too.

Her time in Galar may have been brief, but she had enjoyed every minute of it so far. From meeting and learning about new Pokémon, to making new friends with the people, to getting to wander the Wild Area and see new sights… Everything had been so wonderful.

Raihan had been kind enough to take her under his wing, having found her trying to sneak her way into Hammelocke after dark one evening. Ever since then, they had become quite the pair. He had taught her so much about Galar, had helped her find her Scorbunny, had been there to be her voice of reason when she had a Terrible Idea™ _and_ to catch her when her Terrible Ideas™ had fallen through.

He reminded her of her older brother sometimes. Maybe that's why she stayed so close to him; there was just something so warm and familiar about their relationship that she just needed to keep him in her life.

But it didn't matter, honestly. He was her best and closest friend here in Galar, and she loved and appreciated him very much. She had loved and appreciated him before he had endorsed her so she could expand her research by participating in the League Challenge, before he offered to bring her with him to Motostoke to watch the exhibition matches the week leading up to opening day.

But her love and appreciation only grew with that. And now she was in Motostoke, watching with wide eyes and an even wider grin as Champion Leon and Raihan battled with a ferocity that matched that of Reshiram and Zekrom. Her knuckles had gone white from how tightly she was gripping the railing, having abandoned her seat long ago to get as close as possible. The battle was nearing its end; she could see Raihan's Duraludon weakening, even in his Gigantamaxed form.

Leon's Charizard was definitely nothing to sneeze at, that was for certain. She could feel the heat of his flames on her skin - an impressive feat, for sure, considering she was stationed in the seats behind Raihan, a few hundred feet away from the Pokémon. It was incredible. _Incredible._

Gigantamaxing… She'd have to write home to her brother about it. He'd love to hear about the Galarian phenomenon.

Andy nearly threw herself over the railing when she saw Duraludon shrink as it fell to the ground, knocked out from the last of Charizard's mighty blows. She knew she was supposed to be cheering for Raihan (she had _promised_ him that she would) but she couldn't help the excited scream the tore itself from her throat as the battle came to an end.

Exhilarating didn't even begin to cover the League battles of Galar. Their intensity! Their excitement! It was all so wonderfully intense - enough to make a girl swoon! Or, at the very least, enough to make her screech out her praises to both the Gym Leader and the Champion.

The closing ceremony for the battle began, with both men shaking hands and waving to the crowd. Chairman Rose had stepped back out to the field to declare that registration for this season's League Challenge was officially open, being greeted with the few thousand screams of excited fans and trainers alike. But Andy had mentally checked out for that, so to speak, having pulled her Rotom Phone out to furiously write down as much as she could remember to send her brother. She also definitely, _definitely_ needed to text her best friend and congratulate him on the excellent battle.

And then she had to wait.

Raihan had given her explicit instructions to wait patiently in her seat while the stadium cleared. Apparently, he had someone that was going to come collect her so that she wasn't wandering Motostoke by herself in the evening while waiting for him to finish up being a famous celebrity. He had mentioned something about the post-game drunk crowd being terrifying. She hadn't had to worry about it for the last few days, since he had almost always been by her side after the battles. But if he wanted her to stay… maybe it was bad?

Her leg was bouncing as she watched the last few stragglers climb down the stairs and towards the lobby. She hated waiting. There was so much she could do! She could go to the lobby, to the bathroom, to the snack stands, _outside!_ She could be talking to people and Pokémon alike, learning more!

Alright. She had decided that she had done enough waiting. Her chauffeur was taking too long and she wanted, no, _needed_ to go explore. And maybe she'd find Raihan on the way, too! It had been more than half an hour since the closing ceremony, right? He should be done!

(It had been almost an hour, she noted as she glanced at her Rotom Phone. Where was he?)

Andy stood up, already looping her bag over her chest, but was stopped as a hand wrapped firmly around her bicep. Without even looking, she knew who it was. So she put on her biggest grin and turned to Raihan, who looked a little less than pleased. "And just where do _you_ plan on goin', munchkin?" he asked, voice landing somewhere between playfully annoyed and actually annoyed.

The battle had jazzed her up, the excitement still coursing through her veins like a drug; thick and potent, pumping her heart to the point of near bursting. Metaphorically? Literally? She didn't really know for sure. "I'm gonna go exploring!" she answered honestly, flexing and relaxing her fingers just to try and get rid of the excess energy. "Er, I was gonna go exploring. And maybe see if I could find you, since that person you said would come get me got never showed."

The Dragon Tamer at least had the heart to look a little sheepish, letting go of her arm to throw his hands behind his head. "Yeah, sorry about that. Amber got a bit… distracted, after the match. So I told her she could go and I'd get you." The way the corner of his mouth twitched up into a smug grin did not bode well for this 'Amber' person. "And now I'm here, so we can head back to the hotel."

Rather than pressing the subject, she nodded and linked her arm around his. She'd never get over how giant her best friend was, having to tilt her head all the way back to even hope to lock eyes with him. But she supposed it was okay that he was that tall. He made for an excellent lookout when she did vaguely illegal things like climbing protected monuments for the research. (Not that she had done that! No, she definitely hadn't done that at all.)

She didn't bother hiding how she blatantly stared up at him, openly picking apart his expression. Thankfully, Raihan didn't look bummed by the results of the battle at all, whistling a soft tune to himself as they walked. She grinned at that, skipping ever so slightly. That was good! She knew how excited he had been to dethrone the Undefeated Champion, having been lucky enough to be able to watch him scream his declarations of war around his toothbrush in the morning. Honestly, she had been expecting a bit more sulking.

He really was a good sport! She was proud of him for that! And apparently that Amber person had been involved, so maybe that helped him cope with the loss against Leon.

"Who's Amber?" Andy asked, hoping to pick his brain on the mystery person. But she almost immediately had answered her own question, over exaggerating her realization face to make him chuckle. "Wait, that's… that's the Ghost girl from Tuesday, right? Right? The one you thought was super cute? Even though she had that mask on?"

He nodded with a cheeky grin. "I don't need to see her face to know she's gorgeous."

She rolled her eyes and smacked his side with her free hand. "Calm down there, Romeo." But she let it slide. He was happy and that's all she really cared about.

The night air was just a bit chilly as they stepped out of Motostoke stadium, turning to walk towards the Budew Drop Inn. With it being later than usual, the streets were almost empty. There were a few stragglers - the drunks he had mentioned, no doubt - but other than that? The stars in the sky were their only other companions.

Despite her thick jacket, Andy shivered ever so slightly. He sighed and drew her into his side. She grinned at that; he really was like her big brother. Or maybe he was her honorary big brother? She just started to open her mouth to ask, but stopped when Raihan asked softly, "Are you excited?"

Excited? Oh, she was always excited. But she knew what he was really asking. (He was so easy to read, honestly.) 'Are you ready to take on the League?'

The poor man nearly toppled as she threw herself into him in some bastardization of a hug, crushing herself to his side with both arms. "Beyond excited," she answered, grateful for both him and his warmth. "I'm gonna see so many cool things, and meet so many cool people, and - and--!"

She trailed off when she tilted her head back to see him. There. That brotherly expression he got sometimes - where his smile was boyish and his droopy eyes crinkled at the corners. She loved the big dolt so much. She was so glad he was her best friend.

Squeezing him tightly one last time, Andy pulled away. She was sheepish, now, glancing off and away. "Thank you, Rainie. For endorsing me."

A big hand pat the middle of her head, musing her hair ever so slightly. Raihan was still giving her that soft look, that crooked grin that made her feel safe. "Don't thank me! Make me proud, you frickin' munchkin."

And her smile came back, bright and wide, as she turned her gaze back up to him. "Is that all you want? Can do!" She punched the air, bouncing with excitement once again. "You're gonna be so proud! The proudest endorser ever!"

**Researcher Xanthe**  
There was something she was supposed to do today, but for the life of her, Xanthe couldn't remember what. Whatever it was sat in the back of her head, nagging for her to get it done. The nagging only grew more intense as the day drew on, nearly overwhelming as the night stole away what light was left in the sky. It was nearing ten, if she had to guess. Which meant that the day was almost done, and it would remain forgotten and unfinished. Unfortunately for her, it was hard to finish it when she had no idea what 'it' was. 'It' couldn't be that important if she hadn't made note of it somewhere in her journal, right?

The Fae Queen of Ballonlea sighed softly, shaking her head just enough to clear the thoughts away. She needed to focus on the task at hand: gathering an extensive list of wild Hatennas' favorite berries to eat for her client, a young lad by the name of Bede. Apparently his Hatenna didn't like what he had given her, so he was trying to remedy it.

Xanthe smiled to herself, scribbling away in her notebook. There were worse first jobs to do now that she was back in Galar, she supposed. And honestly, it wasn't even like his Hatenna _wasn't_ eating. She just didn't like the berries she had been given. And Xanthe applauded him for that kind of dedication to his Pokémon. A lot of trainers would've had a 'well, what can you do?' mindset and just kept going on, feeding her things and getting frustrated when she didn't like that. But this kid didn't, and she appreciated that.

With all that in mind, she closed her notebook and slid it into the holster on the inside of her white coat, her trusty pen making its way into the belt loop on her hip. With an excited smile, she watched as one of the Hatenna made their way to a nearby berry tree, using some Psychic energy to shake as much fruit from the branches as possible. When enough had fallen, the tiny pink Pokémon cheered out happily and its fellow Hatenna dashed through the tall grass to join it.

She needed to get closer to the murmur of wild Hatenna that called the Motostoke Outskirts their home in order to see which ones they preferred, but she'd have to be careful about it. The Calm Pokémon were known for being able to sense strong emotions, after all, and if they picked up on the excitement in her veins they'd scatter before she could prove any of her hypotheses true or false.

Skilled fingers went back to her belt, moving from the first strap to the second. There, she tapped a count upon her Pokéballs. Ball one, two, three and... On the fourth, she pulled the Heal Ball from her belt and tapped the center button, smiling ever so slightly as her Hatterene appeared in a haze of blue before immediately bending to her level. Sabine rubbed her cheek against her trainer's with a happy chirp.

Xanthe returned the Pokéball to her hip and softly chuckled at her Pokémon's behavior. Sabine had always been an odd Psyduck; she enjoyed affection and being around people far more than others of her evolutionary line. It made her endearing to almost all strangers that came across the pair. Although this time her physical affection was intense, more so than usual. Almost assuredly because of Xanthe's return. The researcher hadn't seen her Galarian team in almost two years, after all.

"It's wonderful to see you too, my dear," she whispered, calming the Forest Witch with a gentle caress to her cheek. "We have work to do now, but we can talk more later. Deal?" The Hatterene smiled and nodded, the epitome of cheer. Xanthe made a mental note to make Sabine's favorite curry later. Then, as if thinking better of it, she slipped a pen out of its holder and wrote her note on the inside of her wrist. Important things were to be jotted down if one were to remember them.

And while the night may have stolen the light away, the cover it gave her was perfect. But it wouldn't be enough to guarantee her ability to safely make it to the murmur without any of the Hatenna picking up on her emotions.

That's where Sabine came in, of course.

Elegantly, Xanthe threw her hand to the side to catch the Hatterene's attention. It was the same gesture she used in battle, the one that had earned her the title of 'Fae Queen.' If one were to look close enough, they would see the sparkles that naturally came from her when she did it. "Sabine, Calm Mind. Cast a spell upon me, love." And the Forest Witch Pokémon nodded, closing her eyes and exhaling a soft cry fueled with Psychic power.

Almost immediately, Xanthe felt the high energy emotions calm themselves, her heart pumping adrenaline no longer. She smiled again, shutting her eyes and letting her dear Pokémon work her magic. Now _this_ was the effect she had wanted. The Hatenna would almost assuredly ignore her sleuthing around since she was calm.

While the study of Status changing Pokémon moves on humans was still in its infancy, she had done her own research throughout the years. Calm Mind felt like being swept up in a comforting wave, if that made sense. It rolled over the affected like a breeze, calming anxieties and excitement alike. It had a metaphysical form, too; a ball of glowing light, vibrant and shimmering with golds and pinks. It would surround the target with a comforting warmth and a soft twinkling sound, reminiscent of wind chimes on a spring's day.

Sabine nudged her shoulder with another soft chirp, bringing her trainer back to the present. Xanthe smiled, rubbing a thumb over the Hatterene's cheek as a silent thank you. Her eyes found the note on her wrist. Sabine's favorite curry _and_ a Ramune. Those would be excellent rewards for her doing so well.

The next step to collecting this data would be to record everything. Her notebook would be too much of a hassle, so instead she pulled her Rotom Phone. The tiny Plasma Pokémon within stared at her, already activating the video recording app and giving her something akin to a nod. They had worked together for years - it knew what was usually happening, if it was awoke with its dear user crouched amongst the tall grass. There was science afoot, and Rotom needed to turn its camera on and capture everything.

Sabine stayed on Xanthe's heels, acting as a deterrent from any wild Pokémon that would try to approach her dear trainer. While it had been a while since she had been able to follow her dear, she remembered the games they would play when she was but a child, where her dear trainer would follow behind other groups of Pokémon and take notes.

Ever the protector, the Hatterene continued to follow as her dear trainer played her games.

The murmur of Hatenna were still gathered around the berries, excitedly munching away. Slowly, ever so slowly, Xanthe made her way towards them. Her Rotom Phone was already high in the air, filming an aerial shot of the feast. It would be valuable information, for sure.

She just wanted to get close enough to see what berries they were destroying. They were certainly focused more on one area than all others, which led her to believe that _that_ was the favorite berry of the group. While it may not be an extensive list, it would be enough for Bede to start feeding his Hatenna something she enjoyed. Hopefully, depending on whatever the murmur left, Xanthe would be able to figure out if they had any other favored berries.

Except her heart rate spiked and all the Hatenna took off when a loud _boom!_ burst her eardrums and lit up the sky. She turned to look over her shoulder, seeing the fireworks coming from Motostoke Stadium.

Placing a hand over her chest, Xanthe sighed and tried to collect herself. While she was disappointed that her subjects had run off, she was glad that she now remembered what she had been forgetting. She had had an invitation from Auntie Opal to go and watch Champion Leon's exhibition battle to celebrate the new season. Had that really been today? There was supposed to be no other festivals happening in Motostoke - at least, not one that would require fireworks.

Yes, it must've been today. She knew she should've been upset that she had missed it, but the results were always the same: Champion Leon won. Someone had once told her that insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Leader Raihan fit that to a T, as far as she was concerned.

With another sigh, Xanthe extended her hand, her Rotom Phone tucking itself in her palm before she placed it back into her pocket. She'd review the footage it had captured later to try and see if there were any hints as to what they liked.

Sabine gripped the back of her white coat with her clawed tentacle, whimpering ever so slightly when another firework went off. Xanthe smiled softly, turning to her dear Hatterene and smoothing some of her husk down and away from her face. "It's okay, love. It's just a firework." Sabine whimpered again, tucking her face against her trainer's shoulder. "You've been this way since forever. I remember back during our Challenge, you and Kilala hid under me as the fireworks went off. That was back when our partners were still allowed with us on the pitch, of course. Back when you were a baby Haten...na."

Her answer truly had been right in front of her face this whole time, hadn't it? Xanthe wanted to smack herself for being so oblivious once again, but kept herself from doing so because it would scare her sweet Sabine. So instead she kept rubbing the Forest Witch's back, comforting her while the last of the fireworks went off. When those had trailed off, leaving them cast in the darkness of the night once again, she took her notebook out and flipped to one of the oldest pages in it.

A page from her youth, with an extensive list of her team's favorite foods. Sure enough, there on the yellowed parchment was young Sabine's favorite berries. She could hand it off the Bede, since she had the list memorized by heart.

On her way back to her hotel, Xanthe made a mental note to smack herself later. She promptly forgot, because she hadn't written it down in her notebook. After all, if it wasn't written down in her notebook, it wasn't important enough to be remembered, right?

**Trainer Clover**  
The Alolan sun was hot against the back of Clover's neck, beating down heavily and undoubtedly burning him. But the man couldn't be bothered to truly care - he was watching the recap of this week's exhibition matches excitedly, Rotom Phone hovering in the air before him as he leaned his head against the inner tube he was floating in.

His days in Alola were numbered and he wanted to use the remaining ones to soak in as much of the "vacationer" experience as possible before he went back to it. That meant that today was being spent on the beaches of Melemele, enjoying the surf and sand.

But he couldn't ignore the fact that he had to prepare for what he was moving on to. He had been looking forward to his return to Galar for a while now, excited to visit his closest friends and family after being away for so long. He needed to be up-to-date on the Gym Leaders he'd be seeing for this year's League Challenge so he'd know what kind of mischief to expect.

It had been the usual line up, except Allister was accompanied by his older sister, Amber. Seemed she was stepping in to lighten the load for him. Her battling technique was intense, focusing on exploiting weakness and making the opponent misstep. Leon didn't lose, obviously, but it had been on par with one of Raihan's battles. As close to winning as someone could get against the Unbeatable Champion.

He had been impressed, if not a little disappointed that Bea and Melony wouldn't be appearing this year. Both were excellent Leaders with battling styles that were interesting to watch… Ah, whatever. It wasn't like he _wouldn't_ watch.

His fingertips tapped against the plastic of his inner tube as he watched, smiling to himself ever so slightly when he saw Piers make his way out for his match against the Champion. His best friend hadn't changed much since the days of their childhood, although his hair had gotten much longer and he somehow had gotten even more gangly. He still looked perpetually tired and lethargic, walking with his shoulders slumped and hands in his pockets.

While Piers may not have the most foreboding silhouette, people were foolish to think he was weak. Even without Dynamaxing, he was incredibly powerful. He even managed to take down a few of Leon's Pokémon before his final team mate, his faithful Obstagoon, was knocked out. The recap ended and faded into the live stream beautifully. Chairman Rose walked out and the cameras honed in on him, and Clover chose that moment to zone out. The spiel he'd give usually lasted five or so minutes, talking about how amazing the Galar region was before introducing Leon.

Clover had seen that same spiel ten years running now. He practically had it memorized, right down to the obnoxious, "Oh! But I'm getting carried away! Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Rose, and it's a pleasure to be here." He hadn't even realized he had been mouthing along to the words until he found himself talking about 'turning your gaze to the Galar region's greatest Pokémon Trainer,' in which he blinked himself out of his stupor to focus.

With his flair for theatrics, it shouldn't have surprised Clover that the Chairman had Leon appear in a puff of smoke and fireworks. But it still managed to surprise him, forcing a small gasp from his mouth as he smiled widely. Maybe it was the nostalgic feeling that washed over him, feeling just like a teenager again as he watched the Champion give his famous Charizard pose.

Champion Leon hadn't changed much, either. He still radiated that boyish confidence in himself, still had those same silly hair tufts on the sides of his head. But now he was taller, stronger, and had that stupid beard. His shoulders had gotten broader, too. It seemed he was finally able to wear that damn cape without being engulfed in the fluff.

Clover grinned as Raihan tried to be intimidating, kicking his feet in the water idly. He was expecting the same outcome as usual, where Leon obliterated the Dragon-type Gym Leader with poise and grace. But it was always fun to watch and see where they had both improved since last season.

He knew it was time to head back to shore when his neck started to burn a little _worse_ than before. So he kicked his way towards the shallow water and then waded his way onto the beach, inner tube slung over his shoulder as he continued to watch. He had barely made it onto the sand before a large shadow loomed over him. It took a second, but he was able to tear his gaze away to look up at his faithful partner Pokémon. "Good morning, Logi," he greeted, sidestepping the Incineroar to step towards the umbrella and chair he had claimed.

Logi made a sound akin to a whine, closely following behind his trainer. Clover threw his inner tube onto his towel, leaning down to dig in his bag for some aloe. His Rotom Phone stayed relatively close to his face, still showing off the battle for him. After a moment, he pulled out the bottle of aloe and took a seat beneath the umbrella with a content sigh.

"We're going home soon," he mused, patting the ground beside him. Logi sat down, rubbing his head against his shoulder with a loud purr. He reached a hand out and pat the Heel Pokémon on the cheek before moving to uncap the aloe.

As he went about slathering his neck and shoulders with the green gel, Clover kept his eyes focused on the battle. Leon's Charizard was as formidable as ever, although Raihan's Duraludron seemed to be holding its own pretty well. But it was never enough to just _hold out._ If one wanted to beat Leon, they'd have to chip away at his team's strength and wear them out.

A shadow fell over the man and his Pokémon suddenly. Without looking up, Clover already knew who it was. "Alola, Lily," he greeted, capping the bottle and throwing it back in his bag. Professor Kukui's faithful assistant huffed, kicking at the sand. He glanced up at her after a moment, slightly caught off guard when he saw Champion Hau standing behind her. "And alola to you as well, Champion Hau."

The tiny blonde set her hands on her hips. "You said you were going to take on Teddy before he left! And you didn't!" She gestured to Hau, who was giving her that laid back smile of his. "And now _he's_ being annoying! He keeps saying 'oh, I beat the first Champion' and 'I'm the Champion now so you have to listen to me!'"

Clover glanced between the two children, then looked to Logi. "Any idea why she's mad at me, ol' buddy?" His Incineroar shook his head. The man sighed and looked back to Lily. In the most deadpan voice he could muster, he asked, "So you're upset because I didn't battle him and become the new Champion?"

"Yeah! Because you would've at least been way more humble than Hau!" She turned to look at the other boy, who at least looked a little sheepish.

"I think it's pretty amazing that I even won," he murmured, hands resting behind his head. "But I still did win, so that makes me Champion now! Right, Clo? I'm the amazing Champion and she should respect it!"

Clover sighed at the duo's antics, but he found himself giving them a good natured smile. Ever since the Champion Destroyers siblings had taken off to their next region, the pair had come to him more and more often. He supposed that they liked having a Cool Adult Figure™ in their lives.

So he decided to be that Cool Adult Figure™ while imparting some wisdom upon the boy. "You are the Champion now, Hau. But a Champion should be humble about their position. You should act like a Kahuna, but for the entirety of Alola." The boy seemed contemplative, as if he was taking those words to heart.

And then as if to negate his whole point, his Rotom Phone suddenly blasted, "And I'm Galar's greatest trainer, the unbeatable Champion Leon! Thank you for tuning in to my exhibition battle! I'm excited to see who'll make it across from me in this season's League Challenge!"

Clover turned his glare to his Rotom, who he could practically _hear_ snickering with mischievousness. But then he grabbed it and turned the stream off, shoving his Rotom Phone back in his bag and deciding that he had had enough of Galar's Champion for one day. Desperately, he hoped that neither of them had heard it. But Hau _had_ heard it, leaning forward to nudge Lily's side with his elbow. "At least I'm not that guy, right Lil? I'm more humble than that _Leon_ dude."

The blonde sighed, rubbing the crease forming between her eyebrows. She side eyed him before hissing out, "Maybe it was a terrible idea to support the Professor's idea of bringing a League to Alola." He couldn't help but grin at how they ribbed one another, and the grin only widened when they both started laughing. "You're ridiculous!"

"So are you!"

"You two should come sit," Clover instructed when they had collected themselves, pointing to the lounge chair he hadn't taken. They did, smiling when he passed them each a can of lemonade. He opened his own, sipping from it before asking, "How have your duties as Champion been going, Hau?"

"Eh, same old same old. Since I'm so young, Kukui does most of the paperwork and stuff for me. I guess Annie made him make a rule about it or something? He tried to push it off on me so he could go wrestle Rockruffs one day and she nearly killed him. Said something about how no kid should be forced into that stress when there are adults nearby to help" He shrugged. "It makes it easy for me, since I just gotta be there when someone requests to battle." The kid cracked open his drink and slurped from it. "It's weird going in there and not seeing Ted, though."

Clover nodded his understanding, moving to scratch Logi behind his ears. "I would imagine so, yes. He had been Champion for, what, almost two years?"

"A little more than that, actually. He earned the position from Kukui after… all that happened," Lily added, producing a straw from somewhere and sliding it into her can. "I still can't believe they're gone."

The man shrugged his shoulders. While he wished he had gotten a chance to face Ted, he was also thankful that he had never encountered the _older_ of the two Champion Destroyers during his stay in Alola. She petrified him.

"Where did they say they went again?" Hau asked, turning to look at Lily.

She tapped her chin as she tried to remember, letting out an adorable 'aha!' when she did. "Where Clover's going! Galar!"

Clover paled at that, having not realized that's where the siblings had been going.

"Oh! So where that totally-not-humble Leon guy is!" The pair looked to him, then at the can he had crushed in his hand. "...Clov, buddy? You're getting lemonade everywhere." Even Logi gave him a worried growl, tapping his back.

"Sorry, sorry. I just… hadn't realized they would be taking on the Galar League next." He reached for his bag, grabbing his Rotom Phone to open the email confirming his flight. Part of him wanted to cancel. A huge part of him. The majority of him.

But he wanted to see Marnie and Piers…

He sighed loudly, startling the two kids as he made up his mind. Fine, he'd still go. But he'd keep his distance from one _Annie Rose._

**Trainer Mason**  
With shaking fingertips, a young boy wrapped his hand around the handle of his luggage and pulled it behind him. His other held his ticket and passport, both at the ready for the flight attendant. It was his first time flying and he was flying alone, no less. His anxiety was through the roof, having skyrocketed when one of the receptionists at check in had asked where his parents were. They had given him such a surprised look when he said it was just him and his Pokémon, going to visit family. He just wanted everything to go smoothly and that kind of stuff made everything very _not smooth._

"It's just one flight," he murmured, tapping his feet against the ground to the tune of a song only he heard as he waited in the boarding line. "One eleven hour flight. I've slept longer than that before!" He turned his gaze to the tiny Sobble currently hiding in his sweater, who peeked up at him. "Isn't that right, UwU? We've slept for basically forever before."

The Water Lizard Pokémon nodded, crawling up and nuzzling her face against his neck. He smiled down at her, thankful that she was being the strong one right now. While Mason had only had UwU for a few months (she had originally been an egg gifted to him from his father), they had quickly become quite the pair. They loved and depended on one another, finding themselves in mischief more often than not. He could easily admit that she was the perfect partner Pokémon for him.

The line started moving, the grannies in front of him shuffling forward. He took a few steps forward and ended up shifting around too much for her tastes. UwU crawled up his neck and nestled herself in his hair, peeking out from underneath his hat with a disgruntled bubble pop. He snickered at that; she valued comfort over most other things and would make sure to let him know when she was uncomfortable.

They stood in line for a few more moments before making it to the flight attendant. She smiled at Mason, who gave him a nervous smile back. "First time flying?" she asked amiably, scanning his ticket and passport into the system. The boy and his Sobble nodded. She pat UwU on her head as she handed him his passport, sliding his ticket into a slot on her stand. "It's a breeze, I promise. While it's not as fun as riding on the back of a Pokémon, it's much safer!"

"I've not been on the back of a Pokémon," Mason found himself saying, voice soft and shy. He found himself making a fist in front of his chest, clenching it tightly as he looked up to her. "But I'm going to! I'm gonna be a full fledged trainer one day, just like my big brother and sister!"

She smiled at him. "Wonderful! Everyone should experience being a trainer for themselves one day." Then she turned just as a Delibird floated down from helping the previous passengers on the plane. "Ah, Delilah, there you are. Please, will you help Miss Mary-"

"Mister Mason," he corrected, offering her an uncomfortable grin when she looked his way. He hated that name more than anything. "My dad won't let me change it on my passport and ticket but… That's not my name."

She gave him another smile, soft and warm. "Of course! We get misnomers every now and again; people somehow always manage to put the wrong names on their tickets! Delilah, dear?" The Delibird chirped, looking between the attendant and him. "Will you help Mister Mason board the plane? It's his first time flying, so he and his partner may need some help with getting situated and putting their carry-on spot."

Mason watched as the Delivery Pokémon gave something like a grin to the woman, waddling over to him and nudging his hand with her head. She took a few steps forward, looked over her shoulder, and then a few more. "Ah, yeah! I'll follow you, then." He looked over to the flight attendant. "T-thank you, miss! Have a good one!"

She waved to him with a smile of her own, turning to speak with the next person. He turned his gaze to the Pokémon in front of him, who kept looking over her shoulder to make sure he was toddling behind her. Once they finally boarded it, he found the plane itself to be pretty roomy, he guessed. UwU stayed nestled in his hair, occasionally peeking out from under his hat. She didn't even move as the Delibird helped him put his carry-on luggage in its spot, or when he finally sat down.

Delilah chirped at him once he was situated in his window seat, tilting her head. It was almost like she was asking if he was all set. So he smiled and nodded. "Thank you for your help!" He reached into the string bag he had been carrying and pulled out his Poké Puff case, handing her one of the pink ones. She looked at it, then up to him. He gave her the biggest, most reassuring grin he could. "It's a treat. I made them! Take it as a thank you!"

The Delibird grabbed from him quickly, gobbling it up and smearing pink icing on her face. It seemed that had been all the go ahead she had needed. Once it had been been eaten, she mock saluted him and flew back towards the entrance of the plane to help someone else.

UwU made another sound of discontent, slipping out from underneath his hat to drop into his lap. She gave him a jealous look, cheeks puffing up with water as some kind of threat. Mason snickered and smiled at her, thankful that he hadn't put his Poké Puff case away. He pulled out a matcha green tea one before sliding the case back in his bag. "I'll give you one, but you have to promise to be good! No being ornery on the flight." His Sobble grumbled to herself. "UwU, c'mon. I want to go meet my big siblings! They can help us become incredibly strong! And we can't go meet them if we get kicked off the plane."

After a moment, she relented with a nod. He smiled and handed her the Poké Puff, rubbing her smooth head as she munched away. He dabbed the icing away from her face as she got it with a grin.

Mason giggled at his partner, watching as she gulped her last bites down with a pleased look on her face. His dad had told him that Sobbles were usually anxious, timid Pokémon. He had said that he'd have to be extra gentle with her and her training. But UwU was a mischief maker. She didn't shy away from anything, which he appreciated. She was courageous, and it made him courageous, too. He would've never agreed to leave Unova to go to Galar otherwise. Regardless of how bad he wanted to meet his older siblings, he would've stayed because he was scared.

But UwU made him want to try to not be scared.

He smiled as she curled back up under his sweater, latching onto his undershirt to keep herself situated. After a few moments, he felt her breathing even out. She was asleep. Good. He had read somewhere that they did an in-flight announcement before take off, just to go over safety procedures and the like. He'd wait until those were over before popping his headphones on and taking a nap, too.

While he was thinking about it, Mason found his string bag. He grinned as his Rotom Phone shot straight out, hovering before him excitedly. "Heya, Zaps!" he greeted, pulling out his headphones and charger before finding the charging ports on the side of the seat. Next, he extended his hand. The Rotom Phone landed in his palm, buzzing with energy as it was plugged in. He tapped the screen, his Rotom's little pixel avatar coming on screen. "Can you do me a favor? There's supposed to be this big thing goin' on in Galar right now. Some battle or something? Will you look up the stream for me? I want to watch it."

The Rotom avatar nodded, getting to work on finding a live stream of the big battle. Mason grinned as he saw exactly what he had been looking for pop up. 'LIVE: Champion Exhibition Battle - Leon vs Raihan!' In the tags beneath the video, he saw #leaguechallenge pop up. This was apart of Galar's League, he guessed. Something to show off their Champion? Galar did everything weird. First they televised the whole thing like it was some kind of sport, then they had all this fanfare? It was so extra.

Mason muted his phone, turning on subtitles to keep up with what was going on. They seemed to be going through exhibition matches that had been going on all week. A recap, then, before the actual battle? Interesting…

He watched and watched, tapping his feet against the ground while he did. So, these were all the Gym Leaders his big brother and sister would be going against, huh? They all looked so strong… But he knew they'd have no trouble. They were strong, too. Everyone had told him so.

Everything he had heard about them had come from everyone else. He had never actually _met them_ before. He thought back to his lessons with Professor Juniper and Cheren, how they would tell him of how his older sister fought like a wild fire while his older brother battled like a storm. Whatever that meant. All he knew was that they were powerful and kind. Even Mister N had said good things about them, and Mister N barely spoke ever when he came to visit.

They were powerful, and he would be powerful like them, too.

He kept watching, holding his chin in one hand while petting UwU with another. He had to choke back laughter when he saw the Champion appear in a burst of smoke, wearing a _snapback_ and a _cape._ And he was wearing shorts over leggings! _Who dressed this man!?_

Mason collected himself when the loudspeaker bell went off to get everyone's attention. He looked up, then to his right. His row was practically empty. Well, more room for him, he supposed. Then he looked ahead. One of the flight attendants went over the safety demonstration with a smile, the Cinccino by his side helping as well.

He stayed focus, locating everything he'd need in case of emergency. Despite the anxiety coursing through him, he couldn't help but smile. It was happening! It was really happening! He was going to go meet his older siblings and train under them and take Galar by storm--

"And thank you for booking PokéAir! Now, enjoy your nonstop flight to Alola!" He paled, checking his phone. He had boarded the right plane, right? _Right?_ He was supposed to go to Galar!

And then, a single notification crossed the top of his phone.

**Father**   
_haha, juniper pointed out that i booked the wrong flight. swore i clicked the right one~! consider alola your first stop. i'll have you another ticket booked to galar. i'm letting her do it this time! sorry, kiddo!_

Mason resolved that he was going to kill his father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO MANY FRIENDS AHHHH! this is just a handful of the group's trainersonas right now!!
> 
> amber belongs to [Bulletprooffluff](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bulletprooffluff/pseuds/Bulletprooffluff)  
> andy belongs to [Spacenood](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spacenood/pseuds/Spacenood)  
> xanthe belongs to ImperiousFox  
> clover belongs to [ChamberOfLesdern](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChamberOfLesdern/pseuds/ChamberOfLesdern)  
> mason belongs to my little brother!!! he doesn't have an AO3 but that's okie i will give all feedback to him no worries


	6. a champion time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> leon's exhibition match happens

Gloria was rushing around her room, gathering her blankets and pajamas as quickly as she could. She was supposed to be at Annie and Ted's house in two minutes and she had _severely_ misjudged the time it'd take her to gather her stuff.

Her mom was standing in the doorway, watching with amused interest as her daughter ran around. "You know, I don't think they'll be bothered if you're a minute or two late," she teased as she stepped into her room, leaning down to pick up her bag. She sat on the bed and started packing her blankets into the bag, somehow still managing to watch her daughter flounder about. "The exhibition battle doesn't start for another hour, so it's not like you'll be missin' anything until then."

As she shook her head, Gloria's wild hair flew everywhere. "It's rude to keep people waitin', Mum! You know that! Besides, if I'm late Hop'll never let me hear the end of it." She took her bag from her mother and shoved her pajamas and change of clothes in it, somehow managing to also fit her charger and headphones. She shrugged the bag on, bouncing on her feet. She was forgetting something, she could feel it.

"He's probably already there, sweetheart. You know how he can get when he's excited." Her mom stood up, picking the green hat that sat beside her up and setting it on Gloria's head. That's what she had been forgetting! "But you're all set now, right?"

"Yeah!" She was practically bursting with excitement. "Are the bags with the snacks still by the door?" When her mom nodded, Gloria smiled widely, standing on her tiptoes to peck the woman's cheek. "Wonderful! Alright, Mum, I'm headin' out! I love ya!" She was already hustling towards the front door, scooping a couple plastic bags up and resting them in the crook of her arm.

The brunette woman smiled and walked behind her daughter. She leaned against the wall casually. "Love ya, too. Don't be too rowdy for them, alright?"

Gloria managed a non committal wave back as she opened the door. "With the dream team there, I make no promises!" She threw a glance into the living room, seeing Munchlax dozing off. "Bye, Laxxy! Love ya!" And with that, she was out. She waved to her mother's Budew as she passed, jumping down the stone pathway as fast as she could without toppling over.

She slowed down as she passed the gate to the Slumbering Weald. A Wooloo was standing in front of it, sniffing at the air curiously. That was probably fine, right? The Asters' Boltund had found a new Wooloo to add to the flock a while back. This was probably it. It had probably gotten out and had decided to go exploring.

Against her better judgement, Gloria sighed and stopped. She nudged its side, gaining its attention. "Aye, that's off limits, ya know. Go back home." It blinked up at her, looking back at the Weald before plopping itself onto the ground with a content smile. Well, if it wasn't actively trying to get it, it was probably fine. Probably. "Just stay there. Or go back home! Yer family's gonna get worried if you're out too long."

It didn't give her a response. She rolled her eyes and continued across the path, up the stone staircase and towards the Rose siblings' house. She had barely stood in front of the door before it was thrown open, Commander standing there and grinning widely. "Gloria's finally here!" she cheered, taking the grocery bags from her. "And she brought more snacks!"

"I'm not that late, am I?" she asked, stepping into the house and kicking her boots off by the door. She looked around the living room, already seeing the mess started there. The floor was covered in blankets and pillows, their coffee table was littered with drinks and snacks, and somehow the cushions on their couch we already shoved into something looking like a fort. Their TV was massive, currently blasting the recap of the Leader battles leading up to Champion Leon's battle. She could vaguely make out the shapes of Annie's Yamper and Nickit underneath the pile of blankets. It looked like they were both sleeping soundly.

Hop was sitting inside of the cushion fort, splitting his attention between tapping away on his phone and actually watching the TV. He looked up and over to her, grinning smugly. "Super late, Glors. Shoulda been here ages ago!" He cackled at her unamused face, crawling out from underneath the couch cushion fort and rushing over to her. "S'real hypocritical of you to get mad at me when _I'm_ late when you're just gonna turn around and be late yourself!" She threw her bag at him, laughing when it hit him in the stomach and he caught it. This was _exactly_ the kind of teasing she had been trying to prevent! "Gloria!" he wheezed, dropping her bag onto the floor dramatically.

She grinned at that, wrapping one of her arms around the Commander's shoulders and walking further into the house. The other girl laughed at Hop's curses, seemingly content with letting him grumble. Gloria watched as the other girl snickered, "He's been _insufferable_. You were only a couple minutes late, but when the clock hit 7:30 he was like 'I'm going to bother the _shit_ out of her.'"

"Hey! Don't tell her that!" Hop called, having already recovered from the sudden hit. Gloria took a seat on the ground, Commander choosing not to sit and to instead add the new snacks to the coffee table.

Gloria grinned brightly as her best friend sat beside her, cupping his chin in his palms and grumbling. "Come off it, mate, we're just teasin' ya," she said good naturedly, bumping his shoulder with her own. He still grumbled, although it sounded less serious and more playful now. She took that moment to glance around the living room, noticing the distinct lack of their hosts. "Where's Ann and Ted?" she asked as Commander sat on her other side.

"Ted's out getting pizza, he said he'd be back in a bit," the other girl answered, pushing loose curls from her face. "And Annie's in her room, on the phone with her uncle."

Hop nodded, side eyeing her. "It sounded real heated, when she first picked up. I think the Chairman's upset that they aren't at Motostoke for this." He gestured to the TV. "If what I heard was right, apparently there're seats lined up for the two of 'em."

Gloria gaped at that, looking at the TV. It was showing an aerial shot of the stadium, showing off just how packed it was. The tickets to watch the Champion's exhibition battle were beyond expensive and incredibly hard to get. And they were just _not going!?_ "They're missing being there in person!?" she found herself whisper-screaming. " _Why!?_ "

"'cause we had already made plans with you guys." The trio of kids nearly screamed when Annie suddenly spoke up, jumping and looking over their shoulders. The Yamper and Nickit that had been snuggled beneath the blankets perked up, peeking out from under them at the sound of their trainer's voice. The blue haired woman stood there, resting one hand on her hip while the other held onto her phone. She had one brow quirked up ever so slightly, an amused grin on her face. "He sprung it on us at the last minute. We weren't going to just up and leave when we already said we'd watch this thing together."

The kids watched as she climbed over the back of the couch, stepping off of it before plopping herself next to Hop. Her Yamper and Nickit finally squeezed themselves out from beneath the blanket pile, throwing themselves into her lap. She pat them with a small grin, turning to look at the boy beside her. His eyebrows were still pulled up high, confusion evident on his face. "But _why?_ Seeing one of Lee's battles in person is a once in a lifetime opportunity!"

She shrugged, reaching behind him to pat Gloria on the shoulder. "Nice to see ya, too, Gloria." She smiled her own greeting as a response, but remained focused on the question at hand. Annie sighed at that. Her fingers came to play with the charm of her necklace, twisting it around as she spoke. "Listen, I'm a Champion Destroyer. I'll be seeing Champion Leon battle first handedly when I face him in the finals. And… well, I would much rather watch the fanfare here, with the people I care about in the comfort of my own home, than in some crowded stadium."

"Wait wait wait. There's a lot to unpack there." Commander lifted a brow, holding her chin in the palm of her hand. "First: you care about us?"

The adult woman laughed loudly, head thrown back with her grin. Her Pokémon seemed to like that, letting out different content sounds to match. "Why else would I invite you all to come into my house, feed you, and let you destroy my living room?"

"Because you're some kind of pervert?" Hop teased. Her cheerful smile fell, replaced by an annoyed frown. He bumped shoulders with her, giving her an almost sheepish grin. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Jeesh, mate, ya need to learn to take a joke."

Annie rolled her eyes. "You're not my type, anyways." He snickered at that. The woman crossed her arms, sighing wistfully as she stared at nothing. "Now, Champion Leon? He's my type."

"Oh, your type's a dumbass then?" Gloria asked, pointedly looking at Hop with a shit eating grin. "I've heard amazing stories about some of the stuff he's done."

He stuck his tongue out at her, "Lee's not a dumbass! He just… gets lost easily!"

Commander crossed her arms, nodding sagely as she said, "But that makes Hop your type too, because they're both dumbasses."

Annie shook her head again, smiling once again. "One, Hop is _definitely_ not my type. He's a kid! And I'm not going to call a kid a dumbass! But… the Champion is my type, I guess." She lifted her Yamper into the air, smiling up at him. "I watched him get lost in Wyndon at least three times when I was up there. It was endearing! He was so focused on other things that he just couldn't figure out where he was going. It was so cute." She set her Yamper down, laughing when her Nickit launched himself into her arms. "You too, Kitsune-san?" She lifted the Fox Pokémon into the air and continued on, "I really shouldn't be talking about these kinds of things with kids…" And then, as if it were an afterthought, she added, "Especially not when one of you is his brother."

Hop shook his head, waving her off. "Most'a the girls at school always fawn over Leon. I'm used to it." He gave her a teasing grin again. "Just means I'm gonna hold it over your head."

"That your brother is my type?"

"Yep." He popped the 'p.' He gave her a smug, lazy grin as he said, "I'm gonna tease the shite outta you for it."

But Annie didn't look too put off. She rolled her eyes with a grin of her own, "I suppose that this is the fate I've signed myself up for, then."

Hop snickered at that, rubbing his nose and glancing at the TV. Gloria took a look at her phone. It was nearly eight o'clock - a little more than a half hour left before the exhibition match. Everyone was quiet as they watched the screen, taking in the rerun of Piers' battle against Leon. As it went to an ad break, Hop looked back to Commander. "You said first, right? What was the second? What else is there to unpack?"

Oh, shoot, Gloria had forgotten about that, too. She looked to her other friend, who had crossed her arms across her chest. "Well, the fact that she said she was going to face him in the finals. That means you've been endorsed, haven't you?"

Gloria grinned widely at that, "You have, haven't ya!" The three turned their gazes back to Annie, watching how she held both of her Pokémon close to her chest and hid her face in their furs. Gloria leaned in front of Hop to try and get a better look at her face. "Who endorsed ya?"

"Who do ya think?" Hop interjected, pushing her back up into a normal sitting position. "It was Chairman Rose, no doubt! And he wanted her to go watch him first hand so she knows who she's up against!"

The door to their house opened up, revealing a confused Ted standing there. His Rookidee sat on his shoulder, and his Ponyta stood by his side. He held a couple boxes of pizzas in his hands. "You're all being loud. I could hear you screeching from way far down the path." Despite that, he had a soft smile on his face as he stepped in. His Pokémon made themselves comfortable, although they didn't stray far from his side. "And Unc endorsed me, too. So I could be the one facing Leon in the finals."

Commander scooted over as the man walked back into the living room, smiling brightly when his Ponyta sat beside her. Ted set the pizza on the coffee table before sitting down in front of the group. Annie let her Pokémon run off with a grin. The group went about making small talk as the adults distributed the food and drinks amongst them, eating and laughing.

Gloria smiled, watching her best friend excitedly talk to the adults about his brother. Commander seemed to be content with playing with their Pokémon, occasionally offering her own witty remarks to get a laugh.

Eventually, the conversation turned back towards endorsements. "If Lee would just endorse me, I'd show him just how strong I've become!" Hop stated, looking at the TV. It was currently showing an ad for some sports drink, with Leon conveniently being their spokesperson. As he stared at his older brother's image, his face was almost melancholic. Almost. "Tonight's match… it's his last one until the finals. He's comin' home tomorrow. I think he's bringin' starter Pokémon for me and Glors."

The girl choked on her bite. Hop had told her he was coming home for weeks now, but _nothing_ about that!

"With a starter Pokémon and Wooloo… I'll show him that I'll be the next Champion! I just need to get him to endorse me!"

The sibling Champion Destroyers shared a look. "Well…" Annie started. "I think he should, too." She smiled brightly, patting his head. "I'll talk to him about it, but listen. Every good trainer should have a rival on their journey, someone that inspires them to do better. To _be_ better. That way, you're always getting stronger, to beat them and the Champion."

"A rival, huh…?" Hop trailed off, looking deep in through before smiling and nodding. "That's easy! Gloria can be my rival!" She almost choked. Again. _Rivals?_ They were best friends! Then he looked at Commander, giving her a sheepish smile. "I'd say you, too, but you wanna be a Pokémon Professor and I wanna be Champion."

"What, you sayin' I can't inspire you to be better?" she shot back, pretending to be offended. "I'll kick your ass!"

"I'd like to see you try," he snickered, jumping back when her foot came flying his way. "Never mind, I believe you! We're rivals - you inspire me to not get my ass kicked!"

The girl cackled, "Damn right!"

Ted chuckled under his breath, "Rivals… Gosh, were we rivals when we started, sis?"

"Maybe not right at the beginning. But we are now, I think." Annie crossed her arms over her chest, turning her gaze from Hop to Gloria. "What about you? Do you want to be endorsed?"

Ah, shite, this was really happening, huh? Now all four were looking her way, different levels of interest on their faces. She swallowed the bite she had in her mouth and took a huge drink of her soda, trying to choose her words carefully.

After a moment, she started. "I dunno about bein' _endorsed_ but… I wanna go explorin', once I get a Pokémon." Gloria's eyes flicked over everyone before dropping to the floor, picking at the skin around her nails nervously. "I don't have any idea what I wanna do when I'm older. I'd like ta be a trainer, for sure. But other than that…?" She let out a long sigh, already feeling the weight of expectations and disappointment being placed on her shoulders. Most people her age had _some_ idea what they wanted to do when they were older, but her? She was content just getting a partner Pokémon and living her life. "It's all so confusin'."

"That's fair." Ted was looking at her with a gentle look in his eyes, holding his chin in the palm of his hand. "You don't have to know what you want to be right now, you know. Even when you're an adult, you don't have to know for sure." She quirked a brow up at him. He let out a sigh of his own, ruffling his hair with a perturbed look on his face. "I'm not good with words but, like... you're allowed to take your time and figure things out. This world is… real good at makin' people grow up fast, so do things at your own pace. And if your own pace is getting a Pokémon and wandering, then do it."

Annie nodded her agreement. "Yeah! And who knows, if you get endorsed and go do the League Challenge, maybe you'll find something new you'd like to do. That's what happened to us!" She gestured between herself and her brother, a wide smile on her face. "Teddy and I only started our adventure to chase after a couple older boys in our hometown. But when we went and took on the League… Well, it made us realize that we wanted to continue to grow and explore the world, to battle the strongest trainers there are!"

Gloria glanced between the two adults, then between her two friends. Her picked up her soda, taking another large drink from it. Maybe… she would like to be endorsed, then. Maybe not to become Champion - she doubted she'd ever be strong enough for that - but to just explore. To learn about herself. And if Hop was right about Leon bringing them starter Pokémon, then she'd get to learn about her partner, too. It could be fun, traveling the region with her very own Pokémon, with her best friend by her side! An adventure. It'd be an _adventure!_

And really, that's all she wanted to do. She wanted to have fun, to just _be a kid_ while she could. She didn't want to have to have these lofty goals or this incredible drive to be something _more._ She just wanted to be a kid, to become a trainer, to _explore!_

She let out a loud sighed as she pulled her drink away from her mouth, "Alright. _If_ I got endorsed, I guess it wouldn't be the worst thing to happen. I'd like to see everything Galar has to offer, I guess. But I need a Pokémon first, and..."

There was a lull in the conversation, heavy with uncertainty. And then suddenly, rushed out all in one breath--

"You're really gonna have a Pokémon tomorrow."

The group turned to look at Commander, who slapped her hands over her mouth. The poor girl looked like she had just told a secret that should've never been revealed. Her eyes were wide as she frantically looked amongst everyone. Excitement coursed through Gloria's veins, and she had a feeling the same was happening for Hop, based off of his face.

Commander pulled her hands away from her mouth slowly, " _Please_ don't tell the Professor I told you that."

"Do you swear!? Swear that I'm right, swear that you're not lying!" Hop lunged at her from his spot, setting his hands on her shoulders. Gloria followed, trying to get as good a look at her friend's face as possible from her spot behind Hop. Her heartbeat was in her ears, in her throat, in the pit of her stomach. It was everywhere, pulsing with more and more excitement. She was finally going to get a Pokémon. One of her very own - not her mother's.

"Swear it, Commander!" she added, setting her hands over Hop's and shaking her shoulders. "Swear! Swear! Swear!"

Commander nodded, kicking at Hop's chest "I swear! I swear! Get offa me, you friggin' weirdos!"

Annie and Ted snickered at their antics, and the duo whipped their heads their way. "You two knew!?" Hop screeched, falling back off of Commander and onto Gloria. They both floundered, lunging for the adults now.

The older of the Champion Destroyers gave him a warm smile, brushing loose hair behind her ear when he grabbed her shoulders. "Well, yeah. We've spent a lot of time at Professor's Magnolia to gather data on Wishing Stars for Unc, and we _may have_ heard about this."

"And you didn't tell us!?" Gloria smacked onto Ted's chest weakly, giving him her best pouting face.

He tried his best to look offended. "I can keep a secret, unlike _some people._ " Gloria didn't miss how he threw a look Commander's way, or how she cackled loudly. With one hand, he pushed her off of him, grabbing another slice of pizza. "But yeah. Starter Pokémon. That's a thing."

She fell back onto her butt, unable to help the smile on her face. This was happening, wasn't it? The first step to her fun adventure. Even if she wasn't endorsed - even if she never _was_ endorsed - she could finally go and explore, if she was getting a Pokémon. She could finally see the Wild Area, finally battle both wild Pokémon and trainers, and _finally_ walk to Wedgehurst by herself.

Hop seemed to be in the same bubble, punching the air excitedly. "It's starting! The first page in the tale of my legacy!" He laid on his back and stared up at the ceiling with a big smile on his face. Gloria did so too, unable to help the laughter bubbling passed her lips.

Her very own adventure. She was going to go on her very own adventure!

Commander leaned over the pair, somehow managing to look excited and frazzled at the same time. She was smiling ever so slightly, sighing out, "Well, as long as you two can still act surprised when the Champion returns tomorrow, then it'll be okay."

Gloria glanced at Ted when he started talking, watching as he barely moved when his Rookidee landed on his head. "And if you can't act surprised, blame Annie."

Annie giggled loudly, "Yeah, blame me! I'll take the fall!" She brushed some of her hair out of her eyes as she opened her mouth, only to be cut off by the sudden loud noise of TV. She hopped up and bolted over to the light switch, turning the lights off before vaulting over the back of the couch to settle into her spot once again.

Whatever conversation they were going to have faded away as they all turned to the screen, excited eyes watching as the Macro Cosmos logo lit up the screen before fading into the Pokémon League logo. Gloria could already feel the goose pimples popping up on her skin; the roar of the crowd and the lights of the stadium never failed to make her excited.

She glanced at Commander, who was watching with an awed expression, eyes wide and practically sparkling as her mouth hung open just a bit. Then she looked towards Hop, finding herself smiling at his enthralled look. He was already leaning forward, unintentionally trying to get closer to where his brother was. "It's starting!" she heard him whisper as she glanced back to the screen.

Chairman Rose was adjusting his tie, face slightly serious before turning a smile to the camera. His eyes crinkled at the corners and made him look so kind. She had only heard good things about the Chairman and he seemed like such a wonderful person. She chanced a split second glance towards the Champion Destroyers, struck by how there was barely any resemblance. But when she heard him clear his throat, she looked right back.

Like every other kid her age, Gloria practically had the speech he'd give memorized. But it didn't matter - she was still hanging onto every word he said. "Welcome, one and all!" he greeted with a wide smile. All three teens leaned forward without realizing it, feeling the anticipation rising in each of their chests. "Welcome to the wonderful world of Pokémon!"

Softly, she heard Ted whisper, "He almost sounds like Oak, doesn't he?" Followed by Annie's harsh 'shhhh!' She grinned, but didn't take her eyes off the screen.

The jumbotron behind Rose lit up with a map of Galar, starting from down in Postwick and scrolling up to Wyndon. "Our beloved Galar region is a wonderful place filled with thriving nature, beautiful cities, and many Pokémon with which we share our lives!" In one smooth motion, the Chairman reached to his hip and produced a single Pokéball to show the camera. "As you know, our society is able to thrive…" He flicked the Pokéball into the air, catching it smoothly as a Cufant was released from the ball. "...thanks to help from these mysterious creatures we call Pokémon."

Annie sucked in a sharp breath. She nudged shoulders with Hop. "What's that?" she asked quietly.

"It's a Cufant," he whispered back, "now be quiet!" She heard the woman sigh a soft 'It looks like a Phanpy…' as her follow up.

The camera panned up with the dramatic sweeping of Rose's arm, showing off the sky as a flock of Pidove flew overhead. "Yes, Pokémon are all around us - in the sea, in the sky, and even with us in our towns!" It cut to a close up, showing off just how intense the Chairman was monologuing. "And those of us who choose to raise and train Pokémon to do battle and compete…"

Once more, Rose held up the Pokéball. The camera angle switched again, showing off Rose's broad shoulders and the screaming crowd. Hop and Gloria shared a look, keeping up with their tradition of matching his next line. Loudly, they punched the air and said in time with him, "We call Pokémon Trainers!" The crowd roared and she couldn't help but feel like they were cheering for her, cheering for her future.

"What the fuck," she heard Commander whisper.

"Tradition!" she cheered back, letting her arms fall back to her sides.

"Oh! But I'm getting carried away. Please, allow me to introduce myself." The Chairman pressed a hand to his chest before extending it towards the camera. "My name is Rose, and it's a pleasure to be here."

"Mom says he hates his first name," Ted muttered, more so to Annie than anyone else.

"I think that's why he wants us to just call him Uncle," she whispered back.

Hop smacked Annie's shoulder. "Will you two shut up!?"

"Now turn your gaze to the Galar region's greatest Pokémon Trainer, your undefeated Champion…" Gloria couldn't take her eyes off the screen, rocking ever so slightly with excitement as the camera continued to pan across the screen. "It's time for Champion Leon's exhibition match!"

She heard the excited gasps of her friends as the fireworks on the field went up with incredible puffs of smoke, popping off in a straight line towards the center of the field. The camera changed angles again, zooming in on the figure in the smoke. The crowd roared as Leon righted himself, rubbing his toe against the astroturf and breathing out slowly before looking at the camera.

She had never heard a grown woman audibly _swoon,_ however. Annie had definitely played it up a bit, but now Gloria had to look at her. She wore a dopey smile, holding her chin in the palm of her hand.

"His Charizard," Ted mumbled. "It spread its wings."

The woman glanced his way, one brow quirked up curiously. "Would they really have his Charizard fly off before a match? Like, that's his whole schtick."

"It's an intimidation method, you idio--" He trailed off as Leon struck his Charizard pose, stuck on the 'uhhh' sound of 'idiot.' After a moment, he snarkily asked, "What the fuck was that?"

Hop, having dejectedly resigned himself to not being able to watch the match in absolute silence, sighed while the camera showed various members of the crowd throwing up just the Charizard hand. "It's his signature move, the Charizard pose! He does it when Galar's having a Champion time."

"...Champion isn't an adjective. You realize that, right?" Gloria looked over to Commander, watching how the light of the TV reflected off of her glasses. She had an amused grin on her face, barely holding back a chuckle when she saw Hop's annoyed expression. "You just can't make words mean different things! And you can't turn a noun into an adjective!"

"What are you, the grammar police!?"

Annie, on the other hand, was giggling loudly. " _That's so dumb I love it._ " Gloria looked to her next, watching as her two Pokémon settled into her lap. "Someone needs to show me how to do that."

"To do _what?_ "

"That Charizard thing!"

Hop smacked her thigh as he hissed, "Shh, it's actually starting!"

The group fell silent once more, huddling closer to watch the TV. Raihan and his Duraludon were on screen and looking as nonchalant as ever. With his hands tucked in his pockets, he cracked his neck before taking a step towards Leon. The camera switched angles, showing off his profile. "Exhibition or not, Leon, your pristine record is about to end - when I beat you here today!" He crouched into his signature pose, giving off intense Impidimp vibes as he bared his teeth.

The camera cut to Leon, who looked as confident as ever with his Charizard by his side. Gloria felt the excitement well back up in her chest, pulsing through her with every word. "You know I don't lose battles, Raihan!" With a sure grin, the Champion threw his hand to the side as he commanded, "Charizard! Dynamax!"

Gloria chanced another glance, but this time on Hop. She'd never get tired of seeing just how awed he looked as he watched his older brother Dynamax his Pokémon, of seeing just how inspired he was watching him masterfully battle with his Pokémon. It was cute.

But then she heard the sharp gasps of the Champion Destroyers and she had to look at them. She had never been lucky enough to see someone's first reaction to Leon Dynamaxing his Charizard, but now she had and it was incredible.

Annie was grinning, wrapping her arms around her Pokémon and snuggling them close to her chest. "We'll be able to do that, too!" she whispered to them. "You'll be as big as a house, Yamyam! And you'll be as big as a barn, Kitsune-san!"

At some point, Ted's Pokémon returned to his side. He was petting on both of them. His eyes had never left the screen. And while he hadn't said anything, his face was enough to tell Gloria that he was impressed.

Hop scooted forward, tapping his fingers against the ground. "He's going for a speedy team wipe," he stated, more to himself than to others. "That's why he Dynamaxed Charizard right from the get go." As if to punctuate his point, Leon commanded Charizard to use G-Max Wildfire. She watched as Raihan's Duraludon, who had also been Dynamaxed, took the hit. It didn't look good, that was for sure.

Gloria scooted to sit next to him, folding her legs underneath her. "Even without type advantage, tha' move is a killer." She pressed her fingers into her thighs, patting out a beat that matched Hop's. "Musta been worried about Raihan this year, then. To wipe out his Gigantamaxed Duraludon first? Sounds like he's gettin' unsure," she teased.

"Nah, Lee's just merciful. He doesn't wanna get Raihan's hopes up," he countered. "Look! Duraludon's G-Max Depletion barely did a thing! Charizard's amazing!"

The duo sat like that for a few moments, cheering every time Leon landed a hit and making their own observations. After a couple minutes, Commander moved to sit beside them. "I've been abandoned," she fake cried.

"Sorry! We're just… makin' observations," Gloria responded, genuinely looking remorseful. This is how they had always watched Leon's exhibition battles. It was hard to break the habit.

The girl bumped shoulders with her, giving her a good natured smile. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Your commentary is good."

"Oh, Lee brought out his Seismitoad!" Hop grabbed Gloria's shoulder and shook it, pointing at the screen. "He's going for a critical on Raihan's Turtonator! Watch - _watch!_ "

"Hey, what happened to being quiet!?" Annie asked with a laugh.

"SHHHHH!" Hop waved her off, excitedly focusing on the screen. "Amazing, it's amazing!" he repeated.

Gloria turned to look at the profile of her best friend once more. That face he made… Did he make it because he loved battles, or because he loved who was battling? Was it both? It definitely wasn't neither.

She'd like to put a face like that on him one day. One where he was so clearly happy, so excited. She'd love to be the reason for that. She glanced back up at the screen, seeing Leon's winning smile as he called out what was assuredly going to be the final blow to Raihan's team.

Being endorsed wasn't look too bad, anymore. If it gave her the chance to do something like that…

The battle ended after more theatrics from Raihan, with him taking a defeat selfie with Leon. Chairman Rose walked back onto the field, his assistant following close behind him. "What an incredible battle between our strongest Gym Leader and our Unbeatable Champion!" The crowd cheered once more, their energy still running high. The man grinned, gesturing to the Gym Leader. "Any words, Leader Raihan?"

He grinned wolfishly, pointing to Leon in a way that screamed 'declaration.' "You got me this time, but remember: I'm your rival, and one day I'll be wearing that stupid crown snapback and cape!"

Leon offered him a good natured grin, crossing his arms over his chest. "If you feel like your shoulders are broad enough, I implore you to try! And besides: they're not stupid!"

"They are pretty stupid," Gloria whispered to Commander.

"Yeah they're dumb," she whispered back.

"Champion's brother! Right here!" Hop screeched.

"But that's our exhibition match, Galar! As always, I am your Chairman, Rose!" The man waved towards the camera before it panned over to Leon.

"And I'm Galar's greatest trainer, the unbeatable Champion Leon!" He Charizard posed again, much to the crowd's pleasure. With a Champion grin, he looked straight at the camera. "Thank you for tuning into my exhibition battle! I'm excited to see who'll make it across from me in this season's League Challenge!"

The battle started to fade out into ads and credits, with the group still sitting on the floor. The kids were all excitedly discussing things. But then Gloria turned to look at the adults - both of them had remained quiet near the end. Annie was on her phone, tapping away with one hand. Ted had his eyes closed, running his fingers through Ponyta's mane.

They both looked so… calm. How could they be so calm after watching such a killer performance!?

Annie slid her phone back into her pocket and turned to look at her brother. He opened one eye when she cleared her throat. And then she gave him the biggest, _widest_ grin she had ever seen. She was fidgeting, fingers carding their way through her Pokémon's fur as she bounced. "That was… _incredible!_ " she finally said. "His battling style! Dynamaxing! It was all so cool! I can't wait - I want to go out and train! I want to do the League right now!"

Ted shook his head, closing his eyes again. "Not right now, we have guests."

Gloria blinked when the woman smacked her cheeks twice, so very reminiscent of Hop trying to focus himself. Then she nodded. "Okay, then tomorrow! Tomorrow we're gonna go!" Annie looked their way, wearing a warm, winning smile. "That was incredible! I can see why it's so hyped up!"

"See!?" Hop cheered, moving towards her. "I told ya! Lee's amazing!"

"Yes, Champion Leon is amazing! He'll be so fun to battle!" The group converged, discussing things as everyone went about cleaning up the living room just enough that no one would step in someone else's food or drink.

It was as Hop was showing Commander and Annie how to properly Charizard pose while Ted openly laughed that Gloria realized it. She saw how happy everyone was, the warm smiles on their faces, the excitement in their eyes. She heard their chatter and giggles, heard the talk of Pokémon and Pokémon battles. She realized that she wanted to be the kind of trainer that could make people feel that way.

She wanted to give people a Champion time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> allow me to SHAMELESSLY PLUG my [pokemon shield playthrough](https://youtu.be/XFdJGKres4U) that i'm using as a reference for when i write this series


	7. a breakfast club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the first taste of adventure is sweet

Hop woke up with a start. His heart was racing, pounding against his chest. He could hear his pulse in his ears. He felt energy buzzing through his veins. His excitement has taken a physical form, and now he desperately needed to move.

Carefully, so as not to disturb Gloria and the Commander, he sat up and glanced around the room. The first rays of the morning sun were peeking through the windows of the Rose's home, barely providing any light and only making the shadows more intense. He moved to rub his eyes more out of habit than necessity, stopping when he found his best friend had his hand grasped tightly within her own.

He smiled down at her softly, not pulling his hand away. She'd hate it if she ever found out he knew she still slept curled up in a ball. Instead he reached his free hand out and pat her head, purposefully messing her hair up although he was as gentle as possible. No need to make her too mad this early in the morning, even if he knew she was only acting like she was angry. She liked to act tough nowadays. But he knew that she was still a big baby underneath all that bravado.

Hop let her hold his hand as he looked around the room again. He tapped his foot against the ground to try and get rid of his excess energy but it wasn't really helping. The living room was still in disarray from their party, blankets and pillows thrown every which way. It was hard to believe that just a few hours ago, they had been watching Lee battle Raihan on screen. It was even harder to believe that in just a few hours, Lee would be home.

He would be able to talk to him for _real_ for the first time in months. He'd be able to show off everything he's learned about Pokémon once he had his starter; he'd be able to show Lee just _why_ he should be endorsed.

He glanced back down at Gloria. They'd both have starter Pokémon. They'd be trainers. They'd be _rivals._ His mind went back to the conversation they had the previous night, where she had seemed excited about the prospect. But she had been unsure, too. She had always been on the fence about this kind of stuff.

"Yamyam, quiet!" He was broken from his thoughts by Annie's sharp whisper, followed by the excited yips of her Yamper. He slipped his hand from Gloria's before standing up, slowly making his way to the foyer. The woman stood there, smiling as she crouched before the Pokémon with a finger pressed to her lips. "I know you're excited to head out, but we gotta be quiet."

"What are you doing?" Hop couldn't help but grin when she jumped, nearly falling onto the ground but managing to catch herself. Yamyam yipped excitedly again and _did_ knock her down when it threw himself into her chest. He held back a laugh as she tried to calm the Yamper down but the wide smile on her face betrayed the serious tone she was trying to give off.

He glanced down when something brushed against his legs, locking eyes with her Nickit before it bounced over to her, tail swishing across the ground excitedly. She giggled and caught it as it leaped for her, keeping her voice quiet as she happily said, "There you are, Kitsune-san!" The Fox Pokémon purred and rubbed its face against her cheek. She smiled and set it down, standing up and glancing at Hop. "Good morning. I didn't mean to wake you."

The boy shook his head, leaning against the archway between the living room and the foyer. He set his head against the frame and smiled lazily at her, softly whispering, "Ya didn't, mate. I was already awake." He watched how she bounced on her heels; he could feel her excitement from where he stood. "Goin' somewhere?"

Annie nodded sheepishly, glancing between her partners before looking back to him. "I thought it'd be nice to go get breakfast for everyone. There's that little café up in Wedgehurst, the one next to the Pokémon sanctuary." She picked at the sleeves of her sweater as she spoke. She looked small as she went on, "You had said a while ago that you liked the donuts they had there. And I figured that… well, it's hard to go wrong with donuts for breakfast."

He smiled and walked her way, picking his bag and jacket off the floor as he said, "You're not wrong! But it'll be hard to carry food for all of us by yourself, won't it?"

"Yeah, thanks Hop!" She nodded despite the fact she wasn't looking at him. It looked like she was counting off on her fingers.

He stepped into his shoes and bumped her shoulder with his, catching her attention. "Whatcha countin' for?"

She shrugged her shoulders, stepping towards the door and opening it. Her two partners excitedly ran out, crying cheerfully into the early morning air. She gestured for him to go first before following, counting her fingers once more as she softly said, "Well, there's you, Gloria, the Commander… Teddy… Your mom, Gloria's mom, maybe Sonia if she's dropping by later, and maybe the Professor, too… And Champion Leon, too, since he'll be here later! That's nine donuts at a minimum, right?" He raised a brow, throwing his hands behind his head as she continued on, her fingers finding that charm on her necklace again. "And I should account for two per person, just to make sure everyone gets enough. And then there's Pokémon, too. If they have Pokémon donuts I may just have to purchase their whole stock, 'cause I don't know how many Pokémon each person has and… gosh, that's a minimum of eighteen donuts for people and who knows how many for Pokémon."

"Two short on that count, Miss Annie," he added, having already gone over the math himself. She blinked up at him Noctowlishly as she tilted her head. "You forgot to add yourself in!" He eyed the Wooloo sleeping by the gate to the Slumbering Weald as they stepped onto the main path, nudging it with his foot slightly as he muttered, "C'mon, you shouldn't be sleepin' here…" It didn't stir, even when her Yamper and Nickit sniffed at it.

She stopped in the middle of the path, counting on her fingers again. After a moment, she gasped, "Oh, I did! So twenty donuts… Should I round up to two dozen or two _baker's_ dozens? Will we really eat twenty six donuts? Will we really eat _twenty four_ donuts? Ugh…" She turned to the Wooloo, picking it up easily and before continuing on. It didn't even stir from the sudden shift in position, and instead nuzzled into her arms. "Adult decisions like this are hard. Never get old, Hop."

"Uh huh, sure." He only half listened (what was hard about choosing between twenty four and twenty six donuts? It was clear: more donuts were always better!), more curious as to what she was going to do with the Wooloo. His face matched his curiosity as he leaned forward to stare at the Pokémon. "What are you doin' with that little guy?"

Annie sighed softly. "He keeps coming to sleep by the gate. I've told the Asters about him a couple times and Mrs. Aster told me that if I find him there to just yeet him back into their fields and he'll find his way home." She poked the Wooloo's cheek. It let out a weak, sleepy bleat.

"Did they really say 'yeet' orrrrrrr…?" Hop teased as they made the turn towards the main path. She rolled her eyes and leaned over the fence, carefully dropping the Wooloo onto the ground.

"Even if I was told to yeet a Pokémon, I wouldn't." She stood up straight and continued on, although he noticed how she bypassed the main path to start wandering through the tall grass. He followed, keeping one hand on his partner Pokémon's Pokéball. "So, twenty six donuts? That sounds about right, yeah?"

"Yeah." He watched as she crouched in the grass, carefully stalking a Rookidee that had jumped from its nest. He followed suit and crouched beside her, leaning close and whispering, "Be honest: you wanted to train a bit on your way to Wedgehurst, didn't you?"

"A good trainer always wants to train," she whispered back to him. "Watch this, okay?"

Steel blue eyes glanced his way and he couldn't help but nod, feeling the power coming off of her in waves; he had gotten so used to Annie being his neighbor over the course of the last few days that he had nearly forgotten about the fact that she was _a Champion Destroyer._

She threw her hand to the side, drawing the attention of her Yamper. "This one's yours, Yamyam!" She stood up and pointed at the Tiny Bird Pokémon, calling out loudly, "Nuzzle on that Rookidee!"

The Puppy Pokémon yipped excitedly, hopping over Nickit and launching itself at the Rookidee. Hop watched as electricity surrounded Yamper, miniature lightning bolts jumping across its coat. The Rookidee hadn't been anticipating the attack and took the brunt of it, unable to dodge before being knocked to the ground.

The lightning transferred from Yamyam to the Rookidee, leaving it paralyzed. It tried to counter attack but was unable to move, more sparks coming off of it and leaving it stuck.

Rather than finish it off with her Yamper, Annie called it back. "Yamyam, that's enough, step away for a sec!"

Was she running? Planning on catching it? Hop looked at her to ask what she was planning but ended up watching how her smile widened with the type of confidence only a Champion could have. Even with low level Pokémon, she seemed to be so sure of herself. _This_ was her element and he needed to keep that in mind.

"Kitsune-san, it's your turn!" Her Nickit slid in front of her, baring sharp teeth at the paralyzed Rookidee. "Okay, let's finish this as a team! Use Beat Up!"

'Let's finish this as a team'?

The Fox Pokémon let out a long howl before leaning back into a pouncing position, Yamyam joining its side as they both launched themselves at the Tiny Bird Pokémon. There was a flurry of movement that ended up being hidden behind dirt the two kicked up, but when they backed away the Rookidee laid there, defeated.

"What!? What kind of move was that!?" Hop screeched, staring up at her. A flock of Rookidee that had been hiding somewhere else took off at the sudden noise. He didn't care. "That couldn't have been considered a double battle, could it!? Having them both team up on that little Rookidee--"

She shook her head, "No, that wasn't a double battle." Annie crouched beside the unconscious Pokémon, picking up its body and scooting it back towards its nest. She dug around in the bag on her hip before finding an Oran berry and setting it by the Rookidee. She stood up and wiped her hands on her jeans as she continued to explain, "That move was Beat Up. The official description of it says that it uses the attack power of every Pokémon on my team when Kitsune-san uses it. Since Yamyam was already out, he got to attack, too!"

"So… it was a move that allowed for more than one Pokémon to attack?" he asked, matching her as she started to wander back through the grass.

"Something like that! And Kitsune-san is just the right type to pull it off - that's why there was no hesitation when Yamyam joined in." At the sound of their names, her partner Pokémon made their way to her; Yamyam seemed to be skipping while Kitsune-san took a more sluggish pace. She scooped both of them up excitedly, smiling brightly at the pair. "Wonderful! You two did wonderful!" They both looked pleased from the praise, with her Yamper licking her face. She sat them back on the ground, staying crouched as she looked over them. "Neither of you were injured, yeah? You're both not hurt?"

Hop tilted his head as he watched her, seeing how she carefully rubbed over their coats to look for any damage. Both of them responded well to the attention, giving her Pokémon smiles as she finally scratched behind their ears. Even though she had only had them for a few days, they already seemed to like her a lot.

He glanced at the Pokéball in his hand, smiling softly at it. He and his Wooloo? They were the same. They were super close, too. Part of him wanted to show their teamwork off…

She stopped him, spying a lone Wooloo and pointing at it. "That's not one of the local ones, right?"

He stared at it critically, looking for the telltale tagging that would've been on one of the farm Wooloo's ears. When he didn't see it, he nodded. "It's wild, yeah. Go crazy."

That had been all she needed. As they took the long way to Wedgehurst, she battled a total of twelve Pokémon, treating each knocked out opponent the same she had that Rookidee; she'd move their unconscious form away from the main part of the road and set an Oran berry beside them. She had even gotten him to finally show off his stuff with his Wooloo, smiling brightly as he masterfully commanded his partner Pokémon to take down a Skwovet.

The feeling he had while traveling with her was addicting. Was this why she was a Champion Destroyer - to experience this adrenaline over and over again?

He side eyed her as they finally walked into town, keeping his hands behind his head as they made their way to the Pokémon Center. He couldn't help but glance at the station as they passed it; soon enough, Leon would be stepping out of there and coming home. He was beyond excited to finally see his big brother again.

When they stood before the Pokécenter, Annie ushered him in first, calling her Pokémon back into their Pokéballs before following him. She stood in the doorway and looked around, covering her open mouth with her hand. She murmured to herself and he could've _sworn_ it was in a different language.

Hop nudged her with his elbow and broke her from her trance. "Sorry, sorry." She walked towards the counter, Pokéballs out and at the ready. "I'd like to heal my team, please!"

The Nurse Joy nodded, "Of course! If I could see them for just a moment." Annie handed the two Love Balls to the woman, who gave her a cheerful smile. "Give me a second or two, and I'll get your Pokémon all set."

The blue haired woman smiled. "Thank you!" And then she was back to looking around the Pokémon Center, seemingly in awe as she said, "This Pokécenter looks so similar to the ones in Alola… Do all of them look like this?"

He nodded, "Yeah, all of them are styled like this!"

The Nurse Joy returned, handing Annie her Pokéballs back before turning her gaze to Hop. "And your Wooloo, Hop? Does he need to be healed?" The employees of this Pokécenter were well acquainted with him, considering he was the one that usually led the group into town and kept them safe from any wild Pokémon.

He thought for a second before nodding, handing his Pokéball over. His partner had taken a couple hits during their battle, so he wanted to make sure he was taken care of. "Yes please. We did a spot of battling on our way over and Blanc took a bit of a beating."

The Nurse nodded and set his Pokéball in the machine, standing by it and monitoring it. The machine hummed loudly.

After a moment, Hop remembered something. "I think there was this big, uh, 'scandal' a few years ago where someone reported that Alola took our Pokémon Center designs." With a shrug of his shoulders, he said, "It caused national outrage for, like, two seconds. At least until Lee put an end to it!"

He couldn't help but smile fondly at the memory; his brother, much younger than he currently was, standing before a camera and looking thoroughly _disappointed_ with those that had gotten upset over something as simple as a design. Leon had expressed it and, suddenly, the outrage was gone.

"Mmm… sounds like a slow news day." She clipped her Pokéballs to a strap on her hip and grinned over at the Nurse, who handed Hop back his Wooloo's Pokéball. "Thanks for healing our teams!"

The woman brushed pink hair from her eyes, tilting her head and smiling warmly as she said, "We hope to see you again!"

Annie nodded, patting her Pokéballs twice before walking towards the shop portion of the Pokémon Center. "Do you need any potions or anything while we're here?" she asked as she leaned on the counter, peering at the items behind the clerk.

"I'm afraid I don't have any cash on me," he answered, turning his back to the counter and leaning on it.

She rolled her eyes, "That's not what I was asking, dummy." There was a retort on Hop's tongue that died as she dug around in her bag, pulling out a neon pink wallet. "Uh, excuse me, sir."

The clerk smiled as he made his way over to her, "And how may I help you today?"

She tilted her head as she paid one final glance to the items behind the counter. "Can I get fifty potions and, mmm… fifty Pokéballs, too? Oh, and twenty paralyze heals!" Both Hop and the shopkeeper's jaws dropped, both running mental math on the total. _That was a lot of money._ She tapped her chin, "Mm… Hop, should I get antidotes while I'm here? I haven't encountered any Poison types in the area, but that doesn't mean there aren't wild Pokémon that can't learn a Poison type move and… Ah, whatever. Twenty antidotes too, please."

Excitedly, the clerk started ringing her items up as he gathered them. Hop slid next to her, hissing quietly, "What are you doing!? Why are you buying that much!? Do you know how much that all costs?"

She unzipped her wallet, nodding along without really paying attention. "It costs money, duh. And now I have enough for you, Gloria, the Commander, Sonia if she goes, and Teddy!" He watched as she pulled out a _matching_ bright pink card and handed it to the clerk when he returned. "Think of it as, like, a gift. It's no Pokédex or anything cool, definitely not something most people would want to get to start their journey, but it's useful stuff."

Hop sputtered, trying to think of a response as she accepted the bulging plastic bags and her card back from the clerk. She said her thanks with a grin before turning and heading towards the door. When he didn't follow her, she glanced back at him and tilted her head. He collected himself and ran to catch up, taking one of the bags from her as they walked out. "How do you expect us to carry back breakfast, too?" Annie pursed her lips, staring ahead blankly as they moved towards the bakery. "You didn't think about that, did you?"

She shook her head. "Nope. Guess we'll have to wing it, huh?" He let out a loud groan, nudging her side with his elbow. She chuckled at that, soft and good natured. "It's good practice! You'll have to lug a bunch of stuff around when you go on your adventure. You really develop muscles!"

He rolled his eyes and teasingly said, "I'm aware! Lee has a bunch of weights in his room just for that!" She quirked a brow up at that. He continued on. "When he comes home, he sticks to his training regimen. It means training with his team before sunrise and doing his workout before breakfast!"

"Gosh, I couldn't do that," she said with a shake of her head, turning up the path and smiling as she saw the bakery in the distance. A short line had already formed, people and Pokémon alike milling around outside the doors.

It was his turn to quirk a brow up. "You literally did that this morning. Or did you already forget about that, too?"

She exhaled out her nose with a perturbed smirk, shaking her head. "I meant the workout part, you know? The training part is easy." The pair took to chatting idly as they joined the queue, discussing whatever came to their heads.

The bakery in Wedgehurst was a nice place, situated in the back close to Route 2. It was nestled next to the office of the village's Pokémon Sanctuary, tucked between that and the start of a thick treeline. It was a quaint little building, done up in the warm browns and pinks that all of Wedgehurst's buildings were and sporting a large front window that one could look in through.

Their trip in was surprisingly quick, although manhandling two boxes of donuts and another bag stuffed with individually wrapped Pokémon treats proved to be a bit difficult. It had taken a minute, but eventually they left; Hop had taken all three bags to carry while she carried the boxes of donuts. The two of them had agreed to take the main path back to Postwick and not the side path - they'd risk the donuts if they got into any Pokémon battles, and honestly neither of them wanted that.

Once more, they chatted idly as they walked. The sun was higher in the sky now, still early in the morning but not quite _that_ early. Hop kept glancing at Annie from the corner of his eye, watching how she took in the world around her. Somehow, she still managed to look excited as Postwick came into view even if it had basically been her thousandth time coming back. He liked that kind of excitement. It made her easy to approach and talk to, even if she was a little silly.

For a split second, he wondered if this is what it would've been like had Lee not been Champion. Walking to get breakfast and coming back home, talking about anything and everything that tickled their fancy. But he crushed that thought; he was proud of Leon and all of his achievements and he wouldn't have traded his brother's title as Champion for anything.

"Aw, that Wooloo's back," Annie murmured as they turned up the path. Sure enough, their friend from earlier was happily making its way up the path and towards the fence. Her fingers tapped against the bottom of the boxes as she stared at the troublesome Sheep Pokémon. "I swear… Hey!" The Wooloo turned to look at her, bleating softly as it took her form in. "Go home!"

Hop sighed, "The Aester's need to put a bell on that thing if it keeps gettin' out." She nodded her agreement as they turned and walked up the path to her house. "It's gonna get hurt if it keeps hangin' around the Slumbering Weald."

The pair stopped dead in their tracks when they heard a scream from within the house, then complete silence. Quickly, she opened the door and shot in, Hop hot on her heels. "Teddy!? Gloria! Commander!" she called out, zooming into the living room and finding it empty. Hop dipped into the kitchen, nearly doubling with laughter when he saw the two girls and the man covered in flour.

"In here, Miss Annie!" he called out, setting the bags on the table before turning to them.

Before he could even ask what had happened, Ted gravely murmured, "There's been a terrible accident." He crouched down, picking up a bag of flour amidst the white dust and handing it to Commander.

She scoffed, yanking the bag from his hand and setting it on the countertop. Hop could see the embarrassed flush to her cheeks that she was desperately trying to hide. "You didn't tell me the flour was open!"

"Ya didn't have to drop it on the floor to check!" Gloria teased, brushing what she could from her sleep pants. She turned her gaze to Hop, offering him a cheeky grin. "And g'morning to you! Where'd you up and disappear to? Whatcha get?"

He rolled his shoulders. "Miss Annie wanted to get donuts from the bakery for breakfast."

Commander looked at him, then at the bags on the table. "Those aren't donuts, though," she stated before walking his way. She dipped passed him and got into her bag, pulling out a Pokéball. "Those look like… why the hell do you have so many potions?" Then she looked at him, eyes practically sparkling. "Holy shit Hop, are you loaded!?"

"What! No! Miss Annie bought them!"

At that, the blue haired woman stepped into the kitchen, looking at the mess. She set the boxes of donuts on the table and stared at the small hill of flour on the floor. "...Teddy, what the fuck," she exasperatedly whispered after a moment. The man stared at the mess, too, rubbing the back of his head.

Commander tossed her Pokéball into the air lazily, smiling when it opened and Baby landed on the ground. "There was a bit of a mess made," she explained, crouching down before her partner. The Sobble chirped up at her and she pat him on the head. "Can you help us out with cleaning it up, Baby? And then we can have breakfast!" At that, the Water Lizard Pokémon nodded.

"We were gonna make pancakes," Gloria explained as they started cleaning up the mess. Hop and Annie stood off to the side, laying out the food they had gone to get while sharing exasperated grins. "You two had run off so we thought ya had gone to, like, I dunno. Stir shite up or somethin'."

Hop gasped dramatically, pressing a hand against his chest. "I would _never!_ " And then he proceeded to take a bite out of his creme-filled donut.

"No that's a fair assessment," Annie said around her mouthful of a glazed donut, nodding her head. "That's about right for me."

"Miss shit starter extraordinaire," Ted muttered. Hop took another bite to keep himself from laughing at that simple assessment of the woman's character. Ted stood up, dumping the rag he had been using into the sink. Gloria and Commander made their way to the table since the mess was taken care of, each excitedly taking one of the pastries. The Champion Destroyer, however, leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. "I bet you got excited and went to battle."

"And you would be right," Annie answered. She pulled her Pokéball off of her hip and threw them into the air. She caught them easily when they recoiled, smiling at her team. "Yamyam and Kitsune-san both battled bravely and deserve only the best treats for breakfast!"

At that, she dug into the bag filled with Pokémon donuts, tossing one to Commander before crouching down and whistling for her Pokémon. Both went about feeding their Pokémon with bright grins.

"Yours too, Hop!" the woman said after a moment, smiling up at him. She stood up and handed him one of the treats as well. "Your Wooloo. You said his name was Blanc?"

He grasped the Pokéball on his side hesitantly. "Yeah. It's okay if I let him out in here?" he asked.

"No need to ask. Go ahead." Ted stepped away from the counter and towards the group as he spoke. The giant stood at the head of the table, peering over the donuts. It seemed like he genuinely wasn't bothered, going so far as to swipe a couple of the Pokémon treats himself before walking away. "I'm gonna go see if I can go convince Rookidee and Ponyta to wake up."

Annie snickered at that. "Seems like you found yourself a late-riser pair, bro." He didn't justify her with a response, merely shrugging his shoulders. She turned her gaze from her brother's receding back and back to the boy. "So? Let Blanc out!"

Hop couldn't help but smile, fingers finding Blanc's Pokéball and releasing him into the world. His Wooloo looked around the Rose siblings' home before finding his owner, bouncing over to him and bumping against his legs. Gloria covered her mouth and squealed excitedly, "Blanc!"

His Wooloo didn't turn to her and instead peered up at Hop, who dropped to the ground to pet him lovingly. "Hey buddy!" he greeted for the second time that day. "You did wonderful earlier! Here, let's get ya some food!" At that, he unwrapped the Pokétreat and handed it to him, watching with a grin as Blanc happily ate it up.

Breakfast was another loud affair, which he was starting to realize was pretty much normal for the Rose siblings. It was full of laughter and conversation, excited discussions and plans for adventures. Annie went about distributing her gifts with a wide smile, giving encouragement as she ruffled hair.

Eventually, the group disbanded. Hop's mom needed help with cleaning up Lee's room (it somehow always managed to get just _so_ dusty), Gloria's mom needed help with her gardens, and Commander needed to head to the lab to help Sonia out. Annie distributed the remaining donuts to them before seeing them off, stating that she wanted to get things cleaned up before the "festivities" of the day started.

Ted, however, walked with them. Hop glanced at the man as they walked towards the main path; he was a giant, but there was some kind of gentleness to him. He could see it in how he made sure Gloria was safely inside her house and sharing a few words with her before turning back to the other two kids. He could see it in how he crouched beside the troublesome Wooloo by the gate, handing it one of the Pokétreats with a pat to its head before moving on.

Commander bounced ahead when they got to the fork in the road, smiling widely as she adjusted her hold on her bag. "I'm gonna head back to the lab to see what Sonia has planned for me today!"

Hop nodded, giving her a side hug before letting her go. "Alright! You'll be back when Lee gets in, won't ya? At least for the barbecue?"

She shrugged her shoulders noncommittally. "I dunno! Like I said, I need to see what Sonia wants me to do today. I'll try! It'd be a waste to miss meeting your big brother!" Then she turned her gaze up to Ted, smiling once more. "Thanks for lettin' me stay over! I appreciate it!"

The giant man smiled and ruffled her hair. "No problem. Do you need me to walk you back?" She shook her head. "Okay. Be safe, 'kay? Stay out of the tall grass."

At that, Commander snorted, "I have a Pokémon, _Mom._ " To reiterate her point, she grabbed Baby's Pokéball and called the Sobble out. She rubbed her cheek against the Pokémon's when he climbed up her shoulder. "We'll stay safe, no worries!"

Ted crossed his arms over his chest with a soft sigh, "I won't then. See you later, Commander." She waved as she walked off. Neither of them looked away until she was out of their line of sight, and then they continued towards Hop's house. "You have everything?" he asked when they got to the door.

"Mmm. I got my bag and the donuts!" he answered, grinning up at him. The man nodded before turning on his heel. Hop thought he was leaving but he didn't walk away. He was just looking out at the fields, hands shoved in his pockets and shoulders casually slumped. There was a thoughtful look on his face. "...what are you thinkin' about?"

"It's weird to be a mentor," Ted said after a moment, not looking away from the fields. He took one hand out of his pocket and scratched his cheek. "I'm not good at it. But… if you truly are starting your adventure today, don't… hesitate to ask questions." Then, he reached out and clapped Hop on the shoulder. "Ann's taken a likin' to all of you and thinks you'll be incredibly strong… And, I guess I can see that, too. It'd be a waste to not help you."

The teenager looked at him, unable to help the smile on his face. Recognition. He was always thankful for that. "I'm glad she sees it, since it's true. I'm gonna be the next Champion, you know!"

At that, Ted grinned. He almost sounded teasing as he said, "Mm. We'll see about that." He tucked his hand back into his pocket, bouncing on the balls of his feet twice before nodding. "I'm leaving. I think we're heading to Route 2 to train a bit before the barbecue. If you need anything, give Ann a call, alright? I still haven't figured out that phone thing."

"I got it, I got it. Jeesh, you really are a mom, aren't you?" he jeered, reaching for the doorknob. He threw a glance over his shoulder as he opened the door and saw the man giving him another look. It wasn't thoughtful, though. More playfully annoyed. He gave him a cheeky grin. "You two should come see Lee when he gets off the train. He'd be happy to see ya!"

The man rolled his eyes and kicked at the ground, "You just want to see Ann freak out over him."

Hop's cheeky grin only widened at that. "I honestly hadn't considered that, but yes. Now I want that, too." He could practically see the blue haired woman stumbling over herself when she saw his brother; it'd be funny.

Ted let out a good natured huff and started off, ending the conversation as he turned his back. "See ya later, Hop. Good luck - and remember, lady's first when it comes to picking a starter."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [check out my pokemon tumblr if u want mayb](https://anidiotsguidetopokemon.tumblr.com/)


	8. the champion destroyers, part one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the younger brother is more than a blank slate

Route 2 was quiet, for the most part. The younger of the two Champion Destroyers appreciated the peace the quiet offered; it gave him time to focus on training with his team and getting a feel for how both of them preferred to battle. His Ponyta preferred to avoid getting physical whereas his Rookidee loved getting in their opponents' faces, which meant he'd have to plan battles a little more accordingly until they both could change up their styles on command.

"Hey, sis," Ted said softly, giving his Ponyta an Oran berry since she had taken a couple hits from a wild Blipbug. She bleated appreciatively, knocking her head against his hand as thanks. He scratched along her jaw as he turned to look for Annie, who hadn't responded. He frowned when he didn't see her - while it wasn't uncommon for her to disappear for extended periods of time without saying anything (see: her leaving to go get breakfast), it didn't worry him any less. "Ann!?" he called out, cupping a hand to his mouth in an effort to be louder. His Rookidee, who had taken to circling him in the air, chirped and dove for an area closer towards Wedgehurst before coming back his way and settling on his shoulder.

Ah. He had probably seen her. Ted scratched the Tiny Bird Pokémon under the chin as his own form of thanks, knocking their heads together gently. Rookidee chirped happily at that, singing out the first few notes of an appreciative tune.

He took his time walking her way, hands shoved in his pockets and eyes ever roaming over the tall grass. He carefully avoided wild Pokémon since he didn't feel like getting into any battles until he had located his elder sister. She was notorious for always managing to find trouble and it was his job to keep her out of it.

Wedgehurst was bustling already, he noticed as he stepped into the village from Route 2. People and Pokémon were out and about, doing their shopping and meandering while chatting excitedly. Ponyta nudged his hand as she stepped closer to him. He scratched behind her ears while keeping an eye on her. She was still unsure about being in crowded areas, but she was able to do treks among people as long as she was glued to his side.

Rookidee, on the other hand, was more than okay with crowded areas. He chirped at anyone that passed by, earning wide grins and affectionate coos. Ted rolled his eyes; he hadn't anticipated one of his Pokémon being such a ham for attention.

The giant looked over the crowd of people, desperately trying to locate his older sister among the crowd. He found himself looking for her bow before kicking himself - she had ditched the bow and dyed her hair after that battle with Red, and he needed to remember that. It'd be terrible if he kept forgetting. What if he had to explain to someone what she looked like and said 'fluffy brown hair and a pink bow' instead of 'short blue hair and slit eyebrows?' He'd look like a fool. An idiot. A clown. Someone that _definitely_ didn't know what their sister looked like. (But he did. He really did! He just had trouble breaking the habit of looking for _old_ her.)

But, with blue hair in mind, he set back into his search. He started on the outskirts of Wedgehurst before walking the main roads, trying to avoid bumping into people but ultimately failing and having to apologize when he would get distracted. When she didn't turn up outside (even _after_ he sent his Rookidee up into the air to get a bird's eye view), he started to step into shops. First, the Pokémon Center - which was a bust. Same with the berry shop, the bakery, and even the _local boutique._ She wasn't in any of the shops she should've been in, and it was starting to freak him out.

Maybe he should've set up that Rotom Phone, since Uncle Bry said there was a map feature that could display each of their locations…

He was starting to panic, moving to the beginning of Route 2 to recoup. But as he walked past the cluster of buildings near Route 2, he decided to poke his head into the Pokémon Sanctuary he had heard about. It was a long shot, but maybe…. Just maybe…

He opened the door and stepped in, having to bend just a bit so he didn't slam his head into the Chimecho-shaped bell hanging from the doorframe. It chimed loudly as he opened and closed the door, alerting the woman manning the counter. She looked up from her paperwork, grinning brightly at him as she tucked some dark hair behind her ear. "Ah, good mornin'! Thanks for stoppin' by Wedgehurst Sanctuary. Can I help…" She trailed off when she saw the Ponyta by his side, taking a step out from behind the counter and towards them. "...you?"

Ted glanced around the room as the woman crossed the distance, taking in the bulletin boards filled with various things, the waiting area, the motivational posters. It seemed less like a Sanctuary and more like a doctor's office.

"You're the little Ponyta we rescued a while back!" the woman said, crouching in front of his partner and running her fingers through her mane. His Pokémon bleated and nudged the woman with her head; it seemed that she trusted her because she rescued her, and because of that trust she was happy to see her.

Now that the woman was closer, he could see that she was probably his mom's age. Maybe a bit younger. Or maybe not? He was terrible with guessing ages.

She turned to look up at him, shooting him a crooked grin. "That must make you Theodore, right? The Professor told us about you. Said this little lass took a real shining to you!" The woman stood up, brushing her hands off on her pants before extending one his way. "I'm Alex. I run the Sanctuary here, in addition to doing rescues for Pokémon that have abusive trainers. I'm glad to see little Ponyta here found someone she can trust."

Without Ann, he fell back into his habit of robotically introducing himself. He shook her hand once before shoving both of his back into his pockets. "Nice to meet you. I'm Ted, actually." He glanced down at Ponyta, who whinnied and nudged his side with her snout. Encouragement? Was she encouraging him? He tried to take in the subtlest deep breath he could. He couldn't let Ponyta down, so it was time to Be Social™. "Theodore was my grandfather. Uh… thank you for, uh." This time, his Rookidee nudged his cheek with a soft tweet, feathers brushing against his skin.

Reassurance. Encouragement.

His Pokémon made him feel strong.

"Thank you for rescuing Ponyta. I'm glad she's out of a shitty place like that, and I'm glad she trusts me." That was a normal thing to say, right? He looked between his Pokémon and found himself continuing on, "She's amazing. Both of my Pokémon are amazing."

"So you're Ted then." Alex grinned up at him, "You're the type to ramble, aren't ya, Ted?" When he flushed and looked away, she laughed. It was a happy sound that came deep from her chest. (It reminded him of his mom's.) "I didn't mean to make ya nervous, kid. And there's no need to thank me! I'm just glad to see that she's doing okay. Now…" She set her hands on her hips, cocking one to the side as she offered him a toothy smile, "How can I help you?"

Oh. Yeah. There was a reason he had come in. (He had almost forgotten.)

"My sister. I'm looking for her." He glanced around the room again, hoping that maybe, just maybe, Annie had shown up. But no dice; the room was still empty, save for them. "She has bro-- _blue_ hair. She's kinda short. She's wearing a… uh, a yellow jacket, I think. And a skirt? Or maybe a dress."

"Ah, you mean the lady my daughter and her Corviknight nearly took out." Alex sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Ted choked on air at that, staring down at her. She quickly realized that her silence was freaking him out and jumped to rectify that, "She's fine, by the way! Lee has her in the back and is bandaging her up!"

Ted opened his mouth to say something (not even he knew what he was going to say), but the door behind the counter swung open and out bounced his sister and another girl. She was chatting away, not looking any worse for wear other than some scuffs on her cheek and a bandage wrapped around her wrist. Her sudden appearance (or, more accurately, her sudden _loudness_ ) had spooked both his Rookidee and Ponyta, so he quickly recalled them into their Pokéballs so neither got hurt or reacted badly.

When Ann noticed him standing there, she smiled and jogged over to him. "What's up, gigantor?" she greeted with a tilt of her head. He huffed at that, blowing air out his nose. She knew how much that nickname irked him… "What're you doing? Why are you here?"

"You up and disappeared on me," he said flatly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I'm sorry, dude!" She didn't seem the least bit apologetic. "I got excited when I saw an Alolan Ninetales and you know I just had to follow it! Turns out it belonged to Miss Alex here!" At that, Ann turned back to the woman. "So we got to chatting since we had just come from Alola and then - _fwoosh!_ This giant Corviknight swooped down and landed right on me!"

The girl - lady? She looked to be his age but, again, he wasn't good at guessing ages - that Ann had come out with bent forward in an _extremely formal Kantonian apology_ , long auburn hair nearly touching the ground. "I am really sorry about Gwaine!" She stood up, setting the first aid box on the counter and coming out to them. "He never looks when he lands and I _know_ that I should but he never listens to me when we fly!"

His sister waved the other girl off, setting a hand on her shoulder and giving her that too bright smile of hers, "Don't worry about it. It's water under the bridge, or a me under Gwaine!" She laughed at her own joke, but the girl seemed to pale even more at that. Ann noticed and sobered up immediately, "No, for real, Lee. Don't worry about it! I'm okay! No harm, no foul. Que sera, sera. C'est la vie!"

The other girl (Lee?) looked unsure but gave a short, hesitant nod. "If you're sure…"

Alex wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "If she isn't sure, she can come back and talk to us. We'll take care of anything that comes up."

Annie waved her hands in front of her chest, clearing that thought from the air. "I'm sure I'm okay, but if it's okay I'd like to come back and talk to you guys about other stuff!" The older woman grinned at that, nodding ever so slightly. With that taken care of, his older sister dug around in her pocket to pull out and look at her Rotom Phone before glancing up at him. "We have to leave soon, but I should at least introduce you to my new friend. This is Lee!"

Ted nodded, turning to look at the girl. He extended his hand - being sociable was much easier when Ann was around to give him cues. "I'm Ted. Nice to meet ya."

She fumbled for a second before slapping her palm into his, shaking his hand with a firm grip. She was strong, he reasoned, even if she gave off clumsy vibes. "L-Lee. Nice to meet you, too."

"Alright! We're all acquainted!" Ann was rocking on her heels, clearly excited. "But we have to get going, we have to start heading back to Postwick before--"

"Before the Champion comes back into town, yeah?" Alex asked. The pair nodded. "That's understandable. He shuts down most of the village once he rolls in, and the entrance to Route 1 gets clogged up with fans since the station is right next to it."

"Mm, so I've been told. Hop said that Champion Leon returning is always a big deal." His older sister looked up at him, grinning once again. She rambled on without thinking, "But it's less to avoid the crowd and more to get back to Postwick in time for a barbecue. We're celebrating the start of the season for the League before heading out!"

"So you two are League Challengers?" Lee asked softly, glancing between them. Ted nodded and shoved his hands into his pocket; it let him hide how he tapped his fingers against his legs. He was getting antsy. The young woman looked to Alex and brushed some loose hair behind her ear, seemingly unsure as she said, "Then I'll be seeing you in Motostoke for the opening ceremony. I'm a Challenger, too."

Annie absolutely _beamed_ at that and he felt bad for the other girl; shyer people tended to get thrown off or intimidated by his sister's cheeriness. "Wonderful! That'll be--" She counted off on her fingers. "--four Challengers we know! That's fantastic!"

But Lee just smiled back. "I look forward to meeting up with you there, then." She glanced up at Ted and offered that same smile. "I hope you both bring your A-game! My team and I will."

"We will," he answered simply. They always did, and one of them always won. They had always battled with their all. "It was nice to meet you, but now we really gotta dip." He hooked his thumb over his shoulder and in the direction of the door. "Like Ann said, we need to head back to Postwick before Champion Leon gets here."

"Mhm! And I have to stop by the Pokécenter to heal Kitsune-san and Yamyam. Her Corviknight KO'd them when they tried to get him off of me!" She didn't seem the least bit upset by that, but Lee immediately started to fluster again. His older sister just waved off her concerns as she turned to the door. "For real! Stop worryin' about it, Lee. They just need some rest and they'll be all good." Ted followed after his sister, stepping out of the door when she opened it. The Chimecho bell tinged as he stepped out. "We'll see you in Motostoke! You make sure to bring your A-game, too!"

And with that, the pair stepped out. Annie was humming to herself as she made a Combee-line to the Pokécenter and Ted found himself following after her. She had always been the leader when it comes to these kinds of things. "A Corviknight, huh?" he asked after a moment; he was interested in hearing more about the Pokémon that took his big sister down.

She nodded, looking up and over her shoulder at him. She started rambling, speaking with her hands as she excitedly said, "Mhm. We've actually seen them before - they're the ones that are used for the Flying Taxis! _And_ they're actually the final evolution of Rookidee! He was a _huge_ bird, dark and handsome! I got to see his armor up close! I'm thinking dual-typing. Flying and Steel, maybe?" They moved through the crowd that was starting to form outside with ease. She tapped against her chin as they finally stepped into the Pokécenter, caught up in her curiosity. "Ah, this is my second time here today."

The Nurse Joy behind the counter smiled at the pair. "You're back already?" she asked warmly.

Ann bounced up to her, extending her hand out to place two Loveballs in the Nurse's hands. "Yeah! I hope it's alright that I'm keeping you busy…" she sheepishly said, brushing some hair from her eyes before twisting her charm. Ted noticed the minute change and stepped closer to her, purposefully bumping her shoulder with his arm; she often perceived social confrontation out of little interactions and it skyrocketed her anxiety, and he had learned a long time ago that just reminding her of his presence helped. And it did. She straightened her back.

The pink haired woman smiled as she took the Pokéballs, placing them in the machine and starting it up. "I'd much rather be busy than standing here and twiddling my thumbs." She tapped her fingers against the touch pad as they waited. "Although I'll be twiddling my thumbs regardless once Champion Leon comes into town…"

"Really?" Ted tilted his head at her, quirking one brow up. As he pulled out his Pokéballs (Ponyta and Rookidee could both use a nice rest), he said, "I'd think that with the Champion coming, everyone and their mother would be out training and battling to show him what they're made of, which would probably make a Pokécenter busier than normal."

Annie nodded her agreement, loudly saying, "Right? I was thinking the same thing!"

The Nurse brought back over her Pokéballs, setting them on the counter before taking his. She didn't step away and instead looked between the two. "...neither of you are from Galar, are you?" They both shook their heads 'no.' She smiled as she sighed, "I figured as much. While battling is a _huge_ part of our culture, it gets pushed to the back burner when those involved in the League visit. They _are_ celebrities, after all."

Ted watched as she walked back to the machine and placed his Pokémon within it. But that irked him, just a bit. _Celebrities?_ Were those involved in the League really considered _celebrities?_

He glanced down to his sister, who had moved to play on her Rotom phone with one hand and fiddle with her necklace with her other. She certainly hadn't been treated like a celebrity when she had been Champion of Sinnoh. And he hadn't been treated like one during his temporary stint as the Alolan Champion. They both had just had responsibilities heaped onto them…

Hmm. He had thought about it before, but Galar really was weird.

After another couple moments, she returned and set his Pokéballs back in his hands. "Thanks," he murmured, falling back into habitual manners since his brain was focused on other things. He didn't even think as he clipped his Pokéballs back to the holder he had on his hip, patting them twice - once again, out of habit.

She cheerfully smiled up at him, "No problem. I look forward to seeing you again!" He nodded and stepped away, glancing at the shop in the corner before remembering that Ann had bought him some things already. He'd have to repay her somehow… She still loved Pecha berries, so maybe some of those? Maybe a smoothie...

He headed for the door, stopping when he realized that she wasn't with him. "Ann," he called flatly, glancing over his shoulder to see her still standing there, playing on her phone. She jumped, shocked, and finally spun to look at him. He gestured to the door, which had slid open for him. "We're going."

Sheepishly, she bounced over to him, pocketing her phone as she came to stand by him. "Onwards then," she said, stepping out and back into the sunlight. He followed, shoving his hands into his pockets. In the five minutes they had been in there, the crowd had doubled in size and descended on the station. "Ah… It's busy now. Think that means the Champion has shown up?"

Suddenly, the crowd started to cheer. Ted rolled his eyes and nodded, "Yeah. I think you're right. Let's stick to the edges so we can squeeze past them." She made a sound of agreement as she skipped ahead and hugged the outer wall of people, trying to dip and dodge back towards Route 1. Being so tiny meant that a lot of people didn't see her and wouldn't move unless she asked. As for him, all he had to do was exist and people would move. He quietly thanked his lucky stars that he had his height.

He kept his eye on her (no need to lose her twice in one day), grateful when they finally made it back towards Route 1. She stood on her tiptoes and looked over the crowd, huffing when she wasn't able to see. "This is _bullshit,_ " he heard her mutter, jumping a couple times to look over heads.

He sighed as he stepped up behind her, "Do you really want to see him that bad?" He glanced at the station, noting the distinct lack of Champion Leon and his ridiculous fashion. "He's not even here yet."

He could practically see the stars in her eyes as she looked up to him. "It's not everyday we get to experience something like this. And besides, isn't the vibe from the crowd kind of awesome? It'd be a shame to miss out on this."

'Awesome' wasn't the word he'd use (more like 'overwhelming') but he had a problem disagreeing with her when she was so excited. So he sighed once more and shoved his hands under her arms, picking her up so she could see over the crowd. She was practically vibrating with excitement now that she could see over everyone.

He kind of felt like that Oranguru from _The Pyroar King_ , holding the baby Litleo over the other Pokémon in its kingdom.

"Now that's not somethin' you see everyday!" The siblings looked behind them, seeing Gloria and Hop running at them. The teenaged girl was grinning cheekily as she came to a stop beside them, "Short girl problems, am I right?"

Ann nodded sagely. "You are right." Ted rolled his eyes and adjusted his hold, glancing down at the kids before looking back towards the station. He could make out the hulking figure of a Charizard in the entrance - which meant that Champion Leon had arrived, right?

"Who cares about being short!?" Hop said, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He, too, wasn't tall enough to see over the crowd. Ted was running the numbers in his head; if he put Gloria on his shoulders, he could probably hold Ann and Hop up so they could both see over the crowd… But could his back handle that? If he had his other team, this wouldn't have been a problem... "Is Lee here yet? Has he shown up?"

Once again, the crowd cheered. The sibling pair turned their heads to look at the station, seeing the Champion of Galar step out and offer a bright grin to everyone. His Charizard followed and looked out over the crowd, beating its wings a couple times to show off just how intimidating it was. Without saying anything, the Champion did that pose of his and the crowd went wild. What was it called? The, uh..

"The Charizard pose!" Annie excitedly whispered. She was kicking her feet in the air and occasionally hit his legs, so he set her down. She didn't complain, though, instead turning to Hop and Gloria and mimicking his famous pose. "He did the Charizard Pose!"

"Aww, man, and I didn't get to see it!" Hop whined, disappointedly shaking his head and looking over to Gloria. "Well, it's fine."

"Since you'll be seein' it a lot once you're sponsored, yeah?" she teased, only to start giggling when he nodded quickly. Ted watched as the two shared wide grins, both clearly excited over just about everything.

He glanced back to the station, watching as the Champion crossed his arms over his chest and looked out over everyone that had come to greet him. "Hello, hello, Wedgehurst! Your Champion, Leon, is back! I promise I'll keep doing my best to deliver the greatest battles for you all to watch!"

The other three were looking between people and occasionally hopping to try and get a look at him. Ted almost felt bad. _Almost._

Somewhere in the crowd, a girl excitedly yelled, "It's our unbeatable Champion! Leon, you and Charizard are the greatest!" He sighed out his nose; if those involved in the League were treated like celebrities, it only made sense that they'd have fans like that.

"Well, thank you for that!" He didn't miss the way Hop grinned at the praise his brother was getting. It was kind of endearing, not that he'd ever let either of them know. Looking back to the Champion, he watched as the man set his hands on his waist and maintained that wide smile. "I hope you'll all carry on training up your Pokémon and never shy from battle. Then come challenge me for the Champion title!"

Another person in the crowd - a lady standing towards the front, holding onto a little boy's hand - spoke next, "We're on it! We've all been working on our battle skills just like you've taught us, Lee!"

"But that Charizard of yours is too strong for the likes of us to take on!" someone else chimed in.

At that, Leon closed his eyes and contemplated. Ted tilted his head as he watched the man. "Too true that Charizard is blazingly strong. But other Pokémon can be strong as well!" That made him want to go and get Zardo from the island; the Champion owed him a Charizard versus Charizard battle, after all. "That's why I want the strongest of challengers to fill the Gym Challenge and come battle me!"

"He's certainly good at the whole speech thing, huh?" Ann asked, although it sounded like it was more to the air than to anyone in particular. "I can tell he's really hamming it up for the crowd."

"Shhh!" Hop nudged her side. "Be quiet!" (Ted got the feeling that the kid considered the Champion's every word to be gospel.)

"My wish is for Galar's trainers to work together to become the strongest in all the world!" As if to punctuate his point, his Charizard let out a loud roar that riled the crowd up again.

"Lee!" Hop waved his hand high above his head, trying to get his older brother's attention. Ted looked between the two, choosing to ignore how the Champion's eyes widened when they locked gazes for a brief moment.

But then the man smiled and started walking towards their group, the crowd parting for him. "Hop!" Ann stepped behind the kid and Gloria stepped towards Ted, both giving the brothers more room. Hop launched himself at his big brother and wrapped his arms around his midsection, squeezing tightly. The crowd watched with warm smiles as Champion Leon patted his back, "So, my number one fan in all the world has come out of his way to pick me up!" Then, he grabbed his shoulders and pulled him away, seemingly taking in his presence. He moved to ruffle his hair as he said, "Look at you, Hop! I reckon you've grown… exactly an inch and a quarter since the last time I saw you!"

The siblings shared a look. If he _was_ right, that kind of keen eye was terrifying, and should be taken into account when one of them battled him.

"Bingo!" _'Bingo?'_ "That's the sort of sharp eye that's kept you undefeated so long, eh, Lee?" Holy shit, he was right. They'd have to definitely keep that in mind.

Hop grinned up at his older brother before turning to look at Gloria. "And these bright eyes over here…" Ted watched how Gloria froze up when everyone's eyes turned her way, and out of habit he scooted closer to her. He purposely bumped her shoulder with his arm. She sent a fleeting glance up to him and he nodded down to her - she had an ally with him. Then she straightened her back and looked back to the Champion. "I've got it! You must be Gloria, am I right? I've heard loads about you from my little brother."

The girl smiled, looking up at him with a sheepish expression. "All good things, I hope?"

At that, Hop put his hands behind his head and gave her a cheeky smirk. "Nah, I just tell him every time you do something dumb." At that, she grit her teeth and turned to her best friend. The brothers shared a look before snickering to one another.

"That's not very reassurin'," she mumbled. "I promise I'm not some kinda fool--"

Champion Leon smiled warmly again, setting a hand on her shoulder. "No, no! I've only heard good things about you, I promise. It really is nice to meet you. I'm the Galar region's greatest ever Pokémon Champion - and a massive Charizard fan, too. People call me the unbeatable Leon!"

Ted stared blankly at the other man. Did he… did he really think he had to reintroduce himself? After just announcing to the whole universe who he was? Did he think that she didn't know who he was?

Next, Champion Leon looked between the two Champion Destroyers. He maintained that warm grin. "It's wonderful to see you two again." He didn't miss the way he looked over both of them, eyes resting on the Pokéballs they each had. "And I see you both have found yourselves partners."

Ann was the first to speak up, smiling up at him. "Oh yeah! Hop was really helpful!" She slung her arm around the boy's shoulders, doting on him as she spoke. "He showed us all the best spots on Route 1 for finding Pokémon - and he's an excellent trainer, too!"

"Miss Annie," the kid murmured, embarrassed. But he seemed to recover from it quickly, shoving her arm off of him with a grin. "Come on, let's not stay here to chit chat! I bet I can beat all of you back home!"

"W-what!?" Ann immediately chased after him after he took off, not backing down from the challenge. "You're not gonna win that easily, Hop! I've been chasing things down for years!"

Ted sighed, looking down at Gloria. "Are you just gonna let him get a lead on you?" he asked, quirking a brow up.

She shrugged, "My legs still hurt from all the running around he just made me do."

Champion Leon, who hadn't moved, was staring after his brother with a soft look to his eyes. "That Hop… Always wanting to be the best, isn't he?" He looked over to Gloria with that same soft look, offering her a lopsided smile. "With a proper rival of his own, I bet he'd push himself to become something truly special…"

Gloria stared at the man, opening and closing her mouth as she struggled to find something to say. But she shook her head when he spun back towards the crowd and bid them farewell, holding onto the straps of her bag and looking back towards the ground. Ted bumped her shoulder again. She looked up at him and smiled.

"It doesn't look like they got too far," he said, gesturing towards Route 1. Sure enough, his sister and Hop stood just a further down, both bouncing with excitement as they waited for everyone to catch up. "Let's book it."

"That sounds like an excellent plan!" He nearly jumped as Champion Leon rushed past them, grinning widely. "As Champion of Galar, I hate to lose at anything!"

He watched as Gloria followed after them, holding her chin up and laughing as she caught up. The four of them took off in a dead sprint, playfully pushing and shoving and bumping shoulders. It was a pleasant sight to see, honestly. Made him think of the days he and Ann had first set off, full of excitement and cheer.

Ted chose to take his time, walking with his hands in his pockets as he whistled a tune to himself. Celebrities and Champions and the League… It was all so similar to what he had done before, but it was still different. A good different, of course, but still _different._ Whereas Alola had been a breath of fresh air with their Island Challenge, Galar was like coming back home after being away for a long time. And honestly, he found himself looking forward to everything the region had to offer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey so lee is another trainersona! she belongs to: <https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZeroArcana/pseuds/ZeroArcana>


End file.
